| Class | Grade III |
|---|---|
| Location | Santa Anita Park Arcadia, California, United States |
| Inaugurated | 2012 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | Santa Anita |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 mile |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Two-year-old fillies |
| Weight | 122 lbs. with allowances |
| Purse | $100,000 (since 2024) |
The Surfer Girl Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies over a distance of one mile on the turf track scheduled annually in October at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The event currently carries a purse of $100,000.
The inaugural running of the event was inaugurated on October 8, 2012, and was won by the Flashy Ways who was trained by Richard Baltas and ridden by the Joseph Talamo by 2+3⁄4 lengths in a time of 1:34.45. [1] The event was included with a similar event for two-year-old colts and geldings known as the Zuma Beach Stakes which has been run on the same racecard since inception. The name of the event is similar as it refers to sex of the horse with reference to female surfers on the Southern California beaches. Also the name of the event was a 1963 song, Surfer Girl made famous by the Californian based band Beach Boys.
The event is a preparatory race for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Although no horse has won both events, 2017 winner of the Surfer Girl Stakes, French-bred Fatale Bere finished fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf to Rushing Fall which was held at nearby Del Mar Racetrack. Fatale Bere would go on to win the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks as a three-year-old in 2018. [2]
In 2022 the event was upgraded by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to a Grade III. [3]
Speed record:
Margins:
Most wins by an owner:
Most wins by a jockey:
Most wins by a trainer:
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Distance | Time | Purse | Grade | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Thought Process | Hector Berrios | Philip D'Amato | Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables & Estate of Brereton C. Jones | 1 mile | 1:34.34 | $100,500 | III | [4] |
| 2023 | Dreamfyre | Hector Berrios | O. J. Jauregui | Danny A. Eplin | 1 mile | 1:37.11 | $202,000 | III | [5] |
| 2022 | Comanche Country (IRE) | Umberto Rispoli | Philip D'Amato | Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables & Marsha Naify | 1 mile | 1:35.20 | $201,500 | III | [6] |
| 2021 | Cairo Memories | Kent J. Desormeaux | Robert B. Hess, Jr. | David A. Bernsen & Schroeder Farms | 1 mile | 1:34.27 | $203,000 | Listed | [7] |
| 2020 | Madone | Flavien Prat | Simon Callaghan | Kaleem Shah | 1 mile | 1:34.83 | $102,000 | Listed | [8] |
| 2019 | Warren's Showtime | Jorge Velez | Craig A. Lewis | Benjamin C. & Sally Warren | 1 mile | 1:35.06 | $100,351 | Listed | [9] |
| 2018 | Lakerball | Mario Gutierrez | Doug F. O'Neill | Pappas Horse Racing Corp., Purple Rein Racing & Tom R. Roberts | 1 mile | 1:35.23 | $100,345 | Listed | [10] |
| 2017 | Fatale Bere (FR) | Kent J. Desormeaux | Leonard Powell | Benowitz Family Trust, Mark Mathiesen & Mathilde Powell | 1 mile | 1:34.73 | $102,415 | Listed | [11] |
| 2016 | Miss Southern Miss | Kent J. Desormeaux | J. Keith Desormeaux | Peter L. Cantrell | 1 mile | 1:35.08 | $102,070 | Listed | [12] |
| 2015 | Stays in Vegas | Alex O. Solis | Jerry Hollendorfer | Jungle Racing, KMN Racing & LNJ Foxwoods | 1 mile | 1:35.23 | $101,500 | Listed | [13] |
| 2014 | Her Emmynency | Joseph Talamo | Michael Stidham | Ike & Dawn Thrash | 1 mile | 1:34.77 | $101,750 | Listed | [14] |
| 2013 | Clenor (IRE) | Rafael Bejarano | Doug F. O'Neill | Great Friends Stable, Robert Cseplo & Steven Keh | 1 mile | 1:34.38 | $101,250 | [15] | |
| 2012 | Flashy Ways | Joseph Talamo | Richard Baltas | Riley Racing Stables | 1 mile | 1:34.45 | $100,000 | Listed | [1] |
Legend:
Turf