Woodward Stakes

Last updated
Woodward Stakes
Grade II race
Location Belmont Park
Elmont, New York, United States
Inaugurated1954
Race type ThoroughbredFlat racing
Race information
Distance1+18 miles (9 furlongs)
SurfaceDirt
Trackleft-handed
QualificationThree-year-olds and up
WeightAllowance
Purse$500,000 (2020) [1]

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.

Contents

The race was first run in 1954 at Aqueduct Racetrack and then at Belmont Park in late September. In 2006, the Woodward was moved to Saratoga Race Course where it was run on the final Saturday of the meet until 2020. The race was moved back to Belmont Park in 2021. [2]

The Woodward was run as a handicap in 1954, 1955, and in 1976 and 1977. From 1957 through 1975 it was a weight-for-age event, and was run as an allowance stakes from 1977 through 1987. The race returned to being a handicap event in 1988, 1989, and 1990 then reverted to a weight-for-age race in 1991. In 2014, it was changed to allowance weights, meaning horses that do not meet certain conditions carry less weight. [3] In 2020, it was returned to a handicap basis.

History

This race is to honor the memory of Belair Stud's William Woodward Sr., a dedicated horseman, who was chairman of the Jockey Club from 1930 to 1950.

Since its inception, the Woodward Stakes has been run at a variety of distances:

Notable Moments

The Woodward has long been one of America's most prestigious stakes races on the East Coast, along with the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Both races currently serve as major preps for the Breeders' Cup Classic. The Woodward has been won by many horses who were subsequently named the American Horse of the Year and twenty winners of the race were eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame: Sword Dancer, Kelso, Gun Bow, Buckpasser, Damascus, Arts and Letters, Forego, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid, Slew o’ Gold, Precisionist, Alysheba, Easy Goer, Holy Bull, Cigar, Skip Away, Ghostzapper, Curlin and Rachel Alexandra. [4]

Kelso, the only five-time Horse of the Year in American history, won three consecutive renewals of the race between 1961 and 1963. In the 1964 renewal, he faced the talented Gun Bow, who had already beaten Kelso once that year. The two battled the entire length of the stretch and were separated at the wire by less than an inch: Gun Bow won by the bob of his head. [5]

In 1973, Secretariat lost the Woodward to Prove Out, who set a stakes record for the then-current distance of 1+12 miles. The next year, Forego began a four-year win streak. Triple Crown winners Seattle Slew and Affirmed also won the race during the 1970s.

In 2009 at age three, Rachel Alexandra became the first female to win the Woodward. It was also her first race against older males. Only one other 3-year-old filly had ever run in the Woodward: Summer Guest in 1972. She finished second to Key to the Mint before being disqualified and placed third. In 2011 Havre De Grace, a 4 year old filly, became the 2nd female to win the Woodward.

Records

Speed record:

Most wins:

Most wins by an owner:

Most wins by a jockey:

Most wins by a trainer:

Wins by a filly or mare:

Winners of the Woodward Stakes

YearHorseAgeJockeyTrainerOwnerTime
2024 Tapit Trice 4 Dylan Davis Todd A. Pletcher Whisper Hill Farm & Gainesway Stable 1:50.09
2023Zandon4 Flavien Prat Chad C. Brown Jeff Drown1:48.48
2022 Life Is Good 4 Irad Ortiz Jr. Todd A. Pletcher WinStar Farm & China Horse Club Inc1:49.57
2021 Art Collector 4 Luis Saez William I. Mott Bruce Lunsford 1:49.22
2020Global Campaign4 Luis Saez Stanley M. Hough Sagamore Farm LLC & WinStar Farm LLC2:01.40
2019Preservationist6 Junior Alvarado Jimmy Jerkens Centennial Farms1:48.11
2018 Yoshida 4 Joel Rosario William I. Mott WinStar Farm, China Horse Club Inc, SF Racing, Head of Plains Partners1:48.94
2017 Gun Runner 4 Florent Geroux Steve Asmussen Three Chimneys Farm and Winchell Thoroughbreds 1:47.43
2016 Shaman Ghost 4 Javier Castellano Jimmy Jerkens Stronach Stables 1:48.92
2015 Liam's Map 4 Javier Castellano Todd A. Pletcher Teresa Viola Racing Stables1:47.44
2014 Itsmyluckyday 4 Paco Lopez Edward Plesa Jr. Trilogy Stable& Laurie Plesa1:48.84
2013 Alpha 4 John Velazquez Kiaran McLaughlin Godolphin Stables 1:49.28
2012 To Honor and Serve 4 John Velazquez William I. Mott Live Oak Plantation1:48.56
2011 Havre de Grace4 Ramon A. Dominguez J. Larry Jones Rick Porter 1:49.18
2010 Quality Road 4 John Velazquez Todd A. Pletcher Edward P. Evans 1:50.00
2009 Rachel Alexandra3 Calvin Borel Steve Asmussen Stonestreet Stables 1:48.29
2008 Curlin 4 Robby Albarado Steve Asmussen Stonestreet Stables 1:49.34
2007 Lawyer Ron 4 John Velazquez Todd A. Pletcher Hines Racing LLC1:48.60
2006 Premium Tap 4 Kent Desormeaux John C. Kimmel Kline, Alevizos, Whelihan1:50.65
2005 Saint Liam 5 Jerry D. Bailey Richard E. Dutrow Jr. William K. Warren Jr.1:49.07
2004 Ghostzapper 4 Javier Castellano Robert J. Frankel Stronach Stables 1:46.20
2003 Mineshaft 4 Robby Albarado Neil J. Howard Farish, Elkins, Webber1:46.20
2002 Lido Palace 5 Jorge F. Chavez Robert J. Frankel Amerman Racing Stable1:47.60
2001 Lido Palace 4 Jerry D. Bailey Robert J. Frankel John W. Amerman1:47.40
2000 Lemon Drop Kid 4 Edgar Prado Scotty Schulhofer Jeanne G. Vance 1:50.40
1999 River Keen 7 Chris Antley Bob Baffert Hugo Reynolds1:46.80
1998 Skip Away 5 Jerry D. Bailey Sonny Hine Carolyn H. Hine 1:47.80
1997 Formal Gold 4 Kent Desormeaux William W. Perry John D. Murphy1:47.40
1996 Cigar 6 Jerry D. Bailey William I. Mott Allen E. Paulson 1:47.00
1995 Cigar 5 Jerry D. Bailey William I. Mott Allen E. Paulson 1:47.00
1994 Holy Bull 3 Mike E. Smith Warren A. Croll Jr. Warren A. Croll Jr. 1:46.80
1993 Bertrando 4 Gary Stevens Robert J. Frankel Edward Nahem & 505 Farms 1:47.00
1992 Sultry Song 4 Jerry D. Bailey Patrick J. Kelly Live Oak Plantation Racing 1:47.00
1991 In Excess 4 Gary Stevens Bruce L. Jackson Jack J. Munari1:46.20
1990 Dispersal 4 Chris Antley Grover G. Delp Tom Meyerhoff 1:45.80
1989 Easy Goer 3 Pat Day Shug McGaughey Ogden Phipps 2:01.00
1988 Alysheba 4 Chris McCarron Jack Van Berg Dorothy Scharbauer1:59.40
1987 Polish Navy 3 Randy Romero Shug McGaughey Ogden Phipps 1:47.00
1986 Precisionist 5 Chris McCarron L. Ross Fenstermaker Fred W. Hooper 1:46.00
1985 Track Barron 4 Ángel Cordero Jr. LeRoy Jolley Peter M. Brant 1:46.60
1984 Slew o' Gold 4 Ángel Cordero Jr. John O. Hertler Equusequity Stable1:47.80
1983 Slew o' Gold 3 Ángel Cordero Jr. Sidney Watters Jr. Equusequity Stable1:46.60
1982 Island Whirl 4 Ángel Cordero Jr. D. Wayne Lukas Elcee-H Stable1:46.80
1981 Pleasant Colony 3 Ángel Cordero Jr. John P. Campo Buckland Farm 1:47.20
1980 Spectacular Bid 4 Bill Shoemaker Grover G. Delp Hawksworth Farm2:02.40
1979 Affirmed 4 Laffit Pincay Jr. Lazaro S. Barrera Harbor View Farm 2:01.60
1978 Seattle Slew 4 Ángel Cordero Jr. Douglas Peterson Tayhill Stable2:00.00
1977 Forego 7 Bill Shoemaker Frank Y. Whiteley Jr. Lazy F Ranch 1:48.00
1976 Forego 6 Bill Shoemaker Frank Y. Whiteley Jr. Lazy F Ranch 1:45.80
1975 Forego 5 Heliodoro Gustines Sherrill W. Ward Lazy F Ranch 2:27.20
1974 Forego 4 Heliodoro Gustines Sherrill W. Ward Lazy F Ranch 2:27.40
1973 Prove Out 4 Jorge Velásquez H. Allen Jerkens Hobeau Farm 2:25.80
1972 Key To The Mint 3 Braulio Baeza J. Elliott Burch Rokeby Stable 2:28.40
1971 West Coast Scout3 John L. Rotz Mervin Marks Oxford Stable2:00.40
1970 Personality 3 Eddie Belmonte John W. Jacobs Ethel D. Jacobs 2:01.80
1969 Arts and Letters 3 Braulio Baeza J. Elliott Burch Rokeby Stable 2:01.00
1968 Mr. Right 5 Heliodoro Gustines Evan S. Jackson Cheray Duchin 2:03.00
1967 Damascus 3 Bill Shoemaker Frank Y. Whiteley Jr. Edith W. Bancroft 2:00.60
1966 Buckpasser 3 Braulio Baeza Edward A. Neloy Ogden Phipps 2:02.80
1965 Roman Brother 4 Braulio Baeza Burley Parke Harbor View Farm 2:01.80
1964 Gun Bow 4 Walter Blum Edward A. Neloy Gedney Farm2:02.40
1963 Kelso 6 Ismael Valenzuela Carl Hanford Bohemia Stable 2:00.80
1962 Kelso 5 Ismael Valenzuela Carl Hanford Bohemia Stable 2:03.20
1961 Kelso 4 Eddie Arcaro Carl Hanford Bohemia Stable 2:00.00
1960 Sword Dancer 4 Eddie Arcaro J. Elliott Burch Brookmeade Stable 2:01.20
1959 Sword Dancer 3 Eddie Arcaro J. Elliott Burch Brookmeade Stable 2:04.40
1958 Clem 4 Bill Shoemaker William W. Stephens Adele L. Rand 2:01.00
1957 Dedicate 5 Bill Hartack G. Carey Winfrey Jan Burke2:01.00
1956 Mister Gus 5 Ismael Valenzuela Charlie Whittingham Gustave Ring2:03.00
1955 Traffic Judge 3 Eddie Arcaro Woody Stephens Clifford Mooers1:48.20
1954 Pet Bully 6 Bill Hartack Tommy Kelly Ada L. Rice 1:35.60

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References

  1. "Woodward Stakes Profile". Equibase. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  2. Grening, David (19 February 2021). "Jockey Club Gold Cup, Flower Bowl being shifted to Saratoga". Daily Racing Form . Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  3. "Woodward result leaves some players jaded, raises weighty issues". www.twinspires.com. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  4. "William Woodward Sr.: A true sportsman". Troy Record. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  5. "Kelso: Five Time Horse of the Year". www.spiletta.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.