Grade I race | |
Location | Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Springs, New York, United States |
---|---|
Inaugurated | 1948 |
Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
Website | www |
Race information | |
Distance | 1+1⁄8 miles |
Surface | Dirt |
Track | left-handed |
Qualification | Fillies & Mares, three-years-old & up |
Weight | Allowances |
Purse | US$700,000 (since 2017) [1] |
The Personal Ensign Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to fillies and Mares age three and older, it is contested at a distance of one and one-eighth miles on dirt.
Since 1997, this race has been named for U.S. Racing Hall of Fame filly, Personal Ensign. Undefeated in racing, Personal Ensign was also a great broodmare. Her granddaughter Storm Flag Flying won the race in 2004. [2]
Inaugurated at Jamaica Race Course in 1948 as the Firenze Handicap, it was named for the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame filly, Firenze. From 1986 through 1996 it was run as the John A. Morris Handicap, named to honor John Albert Morris, a prominent horseman who in 1889 built the Morris Park Racecourse in The Bronx, New York.
Since inception, the race has also been hosted by all three tracks operated by the New York Racing Association:
The race has been contested at various distances:
The Firenze Handicap was run on turf from 1972 to 1975 and run in two divisions in 1972 and 1974. The 1988 race was run for purse money only, no wagering, after being postponed for one day due to severe thunderstorms that forced cancellation of the remainder of the racing card at Saratoga Springs on Aug. 28, 1988.
Speed record:
Most wins:
Most wins by a jockey:
Most wins by a trainer:
Most wins by an owner:
The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers 1+1⁄8 miles (1,800 m) at Churchill Downs; the horses carry 121 pounds (55 kg). The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby each year. The winner gets $846,300 of the $1,500,000 purse, and a large garland blanket of lilies, resulting in the nickname "Lilies for the Fillies." A silver Kentucky Oaks Trophy is presented to the winner.
The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for fillies and mares, three years old and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
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.
Personal Ensign was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who retired undefeated with 13 wins. At the time, this was the longest win streak for a horse at the elite level of American racing in 80 years. Her come-from-behind victory in the 1988 Breeders' Cup Distaff over Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors is considered one of the most memorable performances of the Breeders' Cup era.
The Whitney Stakes is an American Grade 1 stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses four years of age and older run at a distance of 1+1⁄8 miles. The current purse is $1,000,000.
The Beldame Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares three-years-old and up. Inaugurated in 1939, it was run as a handicap prior to 1960. The race is held annually near the beginning of October at Belmont Park and currently offers a purse of $400,000.
The Ogden Phipps Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, four years of age and older run over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt track held annually in mid June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
The Ruffian Stakes is a Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares ages four-years-old and older run over a distance of one mile on a dirt track scheduled annually in early May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade Il stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. It is named for prominent racehorse owner William Woodward.
The Gamely Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age three and older over a distance of 1+1⁄8 miles on the turf run in late May annually at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California.
The Hollywood Derby is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late November/early December. Now held at Del Mar racetrack in San Diego, California, until 2014 it was held at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. The race is open to horses aged three and contested at a mile and an eighth on turf. It currently offers a purse of $300,000.
The Brooklyn Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. It currently is a Grade II event open to four-year-olds and up willing to race one and one-half miles on dirt. It was a Grade 1 race prior to 1993.
The New York Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares aged four-years-old and older run over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the turf scheduled annually in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The current purse is $600,000.
The Red Carpet Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during Del Mar racetrack's fall meet which has been created to accommodate the overflow of established races from closing of Hollywood Park. The Grade III is run over a distance of 1+3⁄8 miles on turf, and is open to fillies and mares three years of age and older.
The El Encino Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run between 1954 and 2011 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to four-year-old fillies, it was raced over a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles on the synthetic Cushion Track surface. A Grade 2 event, it last offered a purse of $150,000
The Go For Wand Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race established in 1954 for fillies and mares age three and up. Raced in the fall, it is a Grade III race on dirt at a distance of one mile.
Firenze (1884–1902), also recorded as "Firenzi", was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse. During her six-year racing career, she won 47 of 82 starts and retired as the second-highest money-earning filly in American history. She was retroactively named the American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 1887 and American Champion Older Female Horse for three straight years. She repeatedly defeated the top colts of the day including the future Hall of Famers, Hanover and Kingston. In the 1888 season, she was the only horse to beat Preakness Stakes winner, The Bard.
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.
But Why Not was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. The daughter of Blue Larkspur and granddaughter of Black Servant is probably best remembered for wins in the Alabama Stakes, the Acorn Stakes, the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. In 1947, she was voted by the country's top sports writers as the American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly.