Grade III race | |
Location | Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Springs, New York, United States |
---|---|
Inaugurated | 1913 |
Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
Website | www.nyra.com/index saratoga |
Race information | |
Distance | 6 furlong sprint |
Surface | Dirt |
Track | Left-handed |
Qualification | Two-year-olds |
Weight | Assigned |
Purse | US$150,000 (2015) |
The Sanford Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of July at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. A six furlong sprint race, the Grade III event is open to two-year-old horses.
Inaugurated in 1913 as the Sanford Memorial Stakes, [1] it was modified to its present name in 1927. The race is named for Stephen Sanford and his son John, Amsterdam, New York businessmen from one of Saratoga's original horse racing families. Their horses first appeared in the Saratoga races in 1880. Stephen Sanford named all his best horses after members of the Mohawk nation.
The race was hosted by Belmont Park from 1943 through 1945. It was contested at 5+1⁄2 furlongs from 1962 through 1968. Held for almost a hundred years, the only three years in which it did not take place was 1961, 2005, and 2020.
Only four horses have ever won all three Saratoga Racecourse events for two-year-olds. Regret (1914), Campfire (1916), Dehere (1993), and City Zip (2000) each swept the Sanford Stakes, Saratoga Special Stakes, and Hopeful Stakes.
It was in the seventh running of the Sanford in 1919 that Man o' War lost his only race to the Harry Payne Whitney colt, Upset. [2]
This race was downgraded to a Grade III for its 2014 running. [3]
Speed record: (at current distance of 6 furlongs)
Most wins by a jockey:
Most wins by a Trainer
Most wins by an owner:
Man o' War was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all time. Several sports publications, including The Blood-Horse, Sports Illustrated, and the Associated Press, voted Man o' War as the best American racehorse of the 20th century. During his racing career, just after World War I, Man o' War won 20 of 21 races and $249,465 in purses. He was the unofficial 1920 American horse of the year and was honored with Babe Ruth as the outstanding athlete of the year by The New York Times. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957. On March 29, 2017, the museum opened a special exhibit in his honor, "Man o' War at 100".
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The Hopeful Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, the Hopeful is the first Grade I stakes for two-year-olds each season and historically has been a showcase for some of the top East Coast horses at that age group. Raced on the dirt over a distance of seven furlongs, the Grade I event currently offers a purse of $350,000.
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Upset is notable as the only horse to have ever defeated Man o' War. Man o' War, who would go on to a career in which he won 20 of his 21 starts, faced Upset in the seventh running of the Sanford Memorial Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on August 13, 1919. Losing by a neck, Man o' War had been fractious at the starting line and got a bad start, leaving close to last. He also carried 15 pounds more than Upset. Upset finished second in the 1920 Kentucky Derby, a head behind Paul Jones, and also was second in the 1920 Preakness Stakes behind Man o' War.
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