The Swale Stakes is a Listed American
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...
for three year old horses at the distance of seven
furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...
s on the dirt held annually in January at
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park is a Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida, Hallandale Beach, Florida, United States. It is among the most important venues for ...
,
Hallandale Beach, Florida
Hallandale Beach (formerly known simply as Hallandale) is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, the son of a Swedish worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. It is al ...
. The event currently carries a purse of $125,000.
History
The race was named in honor of
Claiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred horse breeding operation near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910 by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Stud in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since. ...
's brilliant colt
Swale who won the 1984
Florida Derby
The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Since 2005, it has been run five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Saturd ...
,
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...
and the
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...
but who died suddenly of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
eight days after his Belmont victory. In 2021
Claiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred horse breeding operation near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910 by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Stud in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since. ...
are the sponsors of the event.
The inaugural running of the event was on 2 March 1985 as the tenth race on the
Florida Derby
The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Since 2005, it has been run five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Saturd ...
racecard over a distance of seven furlongs.
[ The event was won by the 1984 United States Champion 2-year-old colt, ]Chief's Crown
Chief's Crown (April 7, 1982 – April 29, 1997) was an American-bred Thoroughbred race horse who won the 1984 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Two-Year-Old Male Horse. He later became a successful sire.
Ba ...
who was resuming after his Breeders' Cup Juvenile
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup W ...
victory at Hollywood Park Racetrack
Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred horse racing, race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to The Forum (Inglewood, California), the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, t ...
victory easily dispatched the field winning by lengths as the 3/10 odds-on favorite.[
The event was not held in 1987.]
In 1990 the event was upgraded to a Grade III and once again to Grade II in 2006.
For two runnings of the event, in 2007 and 2008 the race was run over the shorter furlongs distance.[
In 2009, Big Drama set a new stakes and track record of 1:20.88 but was disqualified and placed second with the race awarded to This Ones for Phil.]
This race was upgraded once again to a Grade II for its 2014 running but then downgraded again to Grade III in 2018.
In 2024 the event was downgraded by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association
The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) is an American trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders, which is based in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1961, TOBA's stated mission is to "improve the economics, i ...
to Listed status
Records
Speed record:
* 7 furlongs – 1:20.88 This Ones For Phil (2009)
* furlongs – 1:15.06 Eaton's Gift (2008)
Margins:
* lengths – D'wildcat (2001)
Most wins by a jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...
:
* 5 – Luis Saez
Luis Saez (born May 19, 1992) is a Panamanian jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Saez rode Maximum Security to finish first in the 2019 Kentucky Derby but was subsequently disqualified due to interference. The two later won the world's ...
(2013, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2023)
Most wins by a trainer:
* 4 – Claude R. McGaughey III
Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey III (born January 6, 1951) is an American Hall of Fame thoroughbred horse trainer.
Biography
McGaughey began working as a trainer in 1979 and to date has won more than 240 graded stakes races. In 1986, he got his big ...
(1988, 1989, 1996, 2023)
Most wins by an owner:
* 2 – Ogden Phipps
Ogden Phipps (November 26, 1908 – April 21, 2002) was an American stockbroker, court tennis champion and Hall of Fame member, thoroughbred horse racing executive and owner/breeder, and an art collector and philanthropist. In 2001, he was induct ...
(1988, 1989)
* 2 – Dogwood Stable
Dogwood Stable was an American Thoroughbred racehorse partnership. Founded by W. Cothran "Cot" Campbell in 1969, Dogwood was widely viewed to have introduced the concept of group thoroughbred ownership in the United States by offering shares in a ...
(1994, 2000)
* 2 – Paul P. Pompa Jr. (2009, 2010)
* 2 – Michael Dubb (2009, 2019)
* 2 – Courtlandt Farms (2018, 2023)
;Notes
Winners
''Notes:''
† In the 2009 Big Drama was first past the post but was disqualified for bumping This Ones for Phil twice in the straight thus This Ones for Phil was declared the winner.
See also
List of American and Canadian Graded races
External links
2020–21 Gulfstream Park Media Guide
References
{{reflist, 2
Horse races established in 1985
Horse races in Florida
Gulfstream Park
Flat horse races for three-year-olds
Triple Crown Prep Races
1985 establishments in Florida
Previously graded stakes races in the United States