Grade III race | |
Location | Woodbine Racetrack Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
---|---|
Inaugurated | 1906 |
Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
Website | www |
Race information | |
Distance | 1 1/16 miles (8.5 furlongs) |
Surface | Dirt (Polytrack since 2006) |
Track | left-handed |
Qualification | Two-year-olds |
Weight | Allowances |
Purse | $114,045 (approx) (2015) |
The Grey Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. A Grade III, it is open to two-year-old horses and is raced on dirt at a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles. Since 2006, the dirt racing surface at Woodbine Racetrack has been the synthetic Polytrack.
Inaugurated as the Grey Stakes at the Old Woodbine Racetrack in 1906, it was named in honor of the then Governor General of Canada, Earl Grey. Over the years it has been run at various distances:
J. K. L. Ross, owner of the first United States Triple Crown Champion, Sir Barton, won this race five years in a row with future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer, Henry McDaniel. In 1926 Henry McDaniel added another win, making him the leader among all winning trainers.
Notable horses who have won the race includes future Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees Horometer (1933), Kennedy Road (1970), Sunny's Halo (1982), and Sky Classic (1989). Dancer's Image won the 1967 race and went on to capture the following year's Kentucky Derby, as did Mine That Bird in 2009. Since the creation of the Breeder's Cup races in 1984, Macho Uno is the only horse to have won the Grey Stakes then gone on to win that year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
Famous horses who did not win the Grey Stakes include Display who ran second in 1925 but was the ensuing year's Preakness Stakes winner. As well, the 1997 Belmont Stakes winner Touch Gold finished third in the 1996 running of the Grey Stakes.
Time record: (at current 1+1⁄16 miles distance)
Most wins by an owner:
Most wins by a jockey:
Most wins by a trainer:
The Dwyer Stakes is an American Grade III stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred racehorses held annually at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, Long Island, New York. Run in early July, it is open to three-year-old horses and is raced over a distance of 1 mile on dirt. It currently offers a purse of $500,000.
The Champagne Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old horses. The race is run at a distance of one mile on the dirt at Belmont Park in October each year. Although the race is open to both colts and fillies, in practice it is New York's premier race for two-year-old colts and fillies enter the Frizette Stakes instead.
The Breeders' Futurity Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Currently offering a purse of $600,000, the race is open to two-year-old horses and is run at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt. From 1997 to 2008, the race was sponsored by Lane's End Farm. From 2009 to 2013 it was sponsored by Dixiana Farm. It is now sponsored by Claiborne Farm.
The Canadian International Stakes is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses from three years of age and upwards on Turf. It is held annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The current purse is CA$750,000.
The Saranac Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Grade III stakes is open to three-year-old horses and is raced on turf over a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles. The event, currently run in early September, raised its purse to $300,000 in 2014. As of 2023 the race is run for a purse of $175,000.
The Cup and Saucer Stakes is a thoroughbred horse race held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Open to two-year-old horses foaled in Canada, it is currently run at a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles on turf. Along with its dirt race counterpart, the Coronation Futurity Stakes, the Cup and Saucer Stakes is the richest race for two-year-olds foaled in Canada.
The King Edward Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The Grade II turf race is open to horses aged three and older and is raced over a distance of one mile. Run in late June or early July, it currently offers a purse of CAD$200,000.
The Sir Barton Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early December at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. An Ontario Sire Stakes, it is a restricted race for horses age three and older. Raced over a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles on Polytrack, the Sir Barton Stakes currently carries a purse of $93,938.
The race is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. It was called the Aqueduct Handicap, but beginning in 2009, the name was changed to the Evening Attire Stakes in honor of the great grey gelding Evening Attire. He raced until he was 10 years old, retiring in 2008. The race is an ungraded stakes event run on dirt at a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles, it is open to horses three years old and up.
The Northern Dancer Turf Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario in mid-September. A Grade I event with a current purse of Can$300,000, it is run at a distance of 1+1⁄2 miles on Woodbine's E. P. Taylor turf course.
The Sky Classic Stakes is a Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Raced in mid to late August on turf over a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles, it is open to horses three years of age and older. In recent years it has become a major prep race for local horses looking to go on to run against the best horses from around the world in Woodbine's $2 million Canadian International.
The Dance Smartly Stakes is a thoroughbred horse race run annually in August at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A Grade II stakes race raced on turf, it is open to fillies and mares three years of age and older and run at 1+1⁄16 miles. Originally known as the Woodbine Handicap, the race was renamed in 1998 for Dance Smartly, the second filly to win the Canadian Triple Crown who went undefeated during the 1991 racing season and was inducted into both the Canadian and United States Racing Hall of Fames.
The Nassau Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. A Grade II event raced in early June, it is open to horses aged three and older and run over a distance of one mile on turf. Currently, the Nassau Stakes offers a purse of $153,540.
The Chinese Cultural Centre Seagram Cup Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the last week of July/first week of August at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A Grade III event, it is open to horses Three years old and up. Raced over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles, the race currently offers a purse of $115,065.
The Autumn Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Run in mid November, it is open to horses aged three and older. It was raced on dirt until 2006 when the track's owners installed the new synthetic Polytrack surface. For 2008, the Canadian Graded Stakes Committee upgraded the Autumn Stakes to Grade II status.
The Durham Cup Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Run in mid October, the Grade III race is open to horses age three and older. Raced over a distance of 1+1⁄8 miles on Tapeta synthetic dirt, it currently offers a current purse of Can$150,000.
The Maple Leaf Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Run during the first part of November, the Grade III Maple Leaf is open to fillies aged three or older. Raced over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on Polytrack synthetic dirt, it currently offers a purse of $150,000.
The Mazarine Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A Grade III race, it is open to two-year-old fillies. Contested over a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles on Polytrack synthetic dirt, it currently carries a purse of approximately $114,045.
The Connaught Cup Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Run in late May, the Grade II race is open to horses aged four and older. Raced over a distance of seven furlongs on turf, it currently offers a purse of $196,750.
The Woodstock Stakes is a historic Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario since 1885. Held in mid April, the sprint race is open to three-year-old horses and is contested over a distance of 5+1⁄2 furlongs on Polytrack synthetic dirt. It currently offers a purse of $97,488.