The Great Lady M Stakes is a Grade II American

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

for

fillies A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

and

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than fo ...

s age three and older run over a distance of six and one half

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hor ...

s on the dirt held annually in July at

Los Alamitos Race Course Los Alamitos Race Course is a horse racing track in Cypress, California. The track hosts both thoroughbred and quarter horse racing. The track has the distinction of holding four quarter horse stakes races with purses over $1 million, more than ...

Cypress, California Cypress is a city in northwestern Orange County within Southern California. Its population was 50,151 at the 2020 census. History The first people living in the area now known as Cypress were the Gabrieleno, a Native American tribe of the Ton ...

History

The event was inaugurated on 14 June 1941 as the Sequoia Handicap at

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to t ...

and was easily won by movie mogul

Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1882 or 1884 or 1885 – October 29, 1957) was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. Under Mayer's management, MGM became the film industr ...

owned filly Painted Veil in a time of 1:23 for the 7 furlong distance. During World War II the event was not run in 1942 and 1943 returning in 1944 in November as an event for two-year-old fillies over 6 furlongs. After the conclusion of the World War II the event was held in September in 1945. In 1946

won the event for the third time with his three-year-old filly Honeymoon winning. The event was not held from 1947 through 1958. From 1959 the event was either held in April or in late May. The event was reclassified as Grade III in 1986 and was upgraded to Grade II in 1990. In 1979 the event was renamed to the A Gleam Handicap in honor of Calumet Farm's filly,

A Gleam A Gleam (foaled 1949 in Kentucky) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who set a Hollywood Park Racetrack record with five straight stakes races in 1952. Breeding A Gleam was bred and raced by Calumet Farm. Her sire was British born Blenh ...

, whose five stakes wins in 1952 is the co-record for most stakes race wins in a single meet at Hollywood Park including the

Milady Handicap The Adoration Stakes (formerly known as the Milady Handicap) is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during May at Santa Anita Park. The event is open to fillies and mares, age three and up, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles ...

in record time., A Gleam was voted Hollywood Park's 1952 "Horse of the Meet." In 2009, Evita Argentina became the first 3-year-old to win the A Gleam Handicap since Honeymoon did it in 1946. With the closure of Hollywood Park Racetrack in 2013 the event was moved

and renamed to the Great Lady M Stakes in honor of the mare Great Lady M who won the 1980 A Gleam Handicap in an upset. Great Lady M earlier had equalled the track record winning the 1979 Orange Coast Handicap at Los Alamitos Race Course over 6 furlongs in 1:09. Great Lady M's success was more evident off the track as she was the dam of 1986 United States Horse of the Year

Lady's Secret Lady's Secret (April 8, 1982 – March 4, 2003) was an American Eclipse Award winning Thoroughbred horse racing, racemare that was listed in the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century. Lady's Secret was bred by Robert H. Spreen at Lucas ...

. In 2021, the 2020 US Female Sprint Champion

Gamine A gamine is a slim, often boyish, elegant young woman who is, or is perceived to be, mischievous, teasing or sexually appealing. The word ''gamine'' is a French word, the feminine form of ''gamin'', originally meaning urchin, waif or playful, ...

, set a new winning margin by ten lengths defeating four other runners as the short 1/5 odds-on favorite.

Records

Speed record: * furlongs: 1:14.48 – Finest City (2016) * 7 furlongs: 1:20.40 – A. P. Assay (1998) (Equaled track record) Margins: * 10 lengths –

(2021) Most wins: * 2 – Marley's Freedom (2018, 2019) * 2 – Somethinaboutlaura (2006, 2007) * 2 –

Linita Linita (foaled March 25, 1957) was an American Thoroughbred racing mare in California. Background Linita was a chestnut mare bred and raced by Angelo and Herman Corradini in partnership with George Dorney, she was trained by Clyde Turk througho ...

(1961, 1963) Most wins by an owner: * 3 –

(1941, 1944, 1946) * 3 – John G. Sikura (in partnership 2006, 2007, 2011) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

: * 7 – Gary Stevens (1986, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2005) Most wins by a trainer: * 6 –

Bob Baffert Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakn ...

(2011, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
† The event in 1985 was an exhibition race with four entries that had no wagering.
§ Ran as part of an entry

External links

2012 Hollywood Park Media Guide

Ten Things You Should Know About the A Gleam Handicap at Hello Race Fans!

References

{{Reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Horse races in California Sprint category horse races for fillies and mares Recurring sporting events established in 1941 Breeders' Cup Challenge series 1941 establishments in California Los Alamitos, California

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References