The American Stakes is a Grade III 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 horses age three and older over a distance of one mile on the

turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricultu ...

track held at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of th ...

in June. The race currently offers a purse of $100,000.

History

The event was inaugurated on

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...

in 1938 as the American Handicap, when

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

's and

Lindsay C. Howard Lindsay Coleman Howard (March 31, 1904 – September 6, 1971) was an American sportsman. Early life Lindsay was born on March 31, 1904, in San Francisco, California. He was the son of Fannie May Howard and Charles S. Howard, a prominent businessm ...

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

bred Ligorati set a new track record of 1:50 for the miles feature on the dirt track before a crowd of 60,000 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 the ...

. The event was regularly scheduled for many of its runnings on the Fourth of July holiday attracting massive crowds especially in the 1950s and 1960s. In the early runnings, the event became a main preparatory event for the

Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $400,000. ...

. The event attracted many fine horses who went on to complete the double. These include

bred Kayak II in 1939, the Irish bred Champion Noor in 1950, the 1948

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

champion

Citation A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose of ...

in 1951, Irish bred Royal Serenade in 1953, 1953 Kentucky Derby winner Swaps in 1956, Hillsdale in 1959, Prove It in 1962,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

n bred Colorado King in 1964,

Native Diver Native Diver (April 16, 1959 – September 13, 1967) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Native Diver's nicknames included "the Diver," "The California Comet" and "The Black Horse." He compiled 34 stakes wins throughout his career, but never w ...

in 1965. In 1968 the event was moved to the turf track. The

bred

Figonero Figonero (foaled 1965 in Argentina) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who is best known for racing in the United States, where he set a world record for 1 miles in winning the 1969 Del Mar Handicap at Del Mar Racetrack in California. Racing career In ...

in 1969 and in 1971 US Horse of the Year Ack Ack were able to complete the American Handicap–Hollywood Gold Cup double. The race was not run in 1942 or 1943, due to Hollywood Park being closed. In 1949, the event was held at Santa Anita Park, due to a devastating fire at Hollywood Park on the night of May 5, 1949. The

n import Colorado King equalled the then-current world record for miles in winning the 1964 edition. Two mares have won this event, Pink Pigeon in 1968 and

Toussaud Toussaud (May 6, 1989 – January 5, 2009) was a bay mare bred and raced by Juddmonte Farms. Sired by El Gran Senor out of an In Reality mare, Image of Reality, Toussaud achieved much on the track and in the breeding shed. Race career Toussa ...

in 1993. The event was run in divisions in 1969 and 1975. The event was a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

from 1973 to 1987, gaining Grade I status for 1988 and 1989. The event was downgraded to Grade III in 2014. In 2011, the distance was shortened to one mile from nine furlongs. On the closing of

in 2013 the event has been held at

Records

Speed record: * 1 mile: 1:32.26 – Pee Wee Reese (2017) * miles: 1:45.60 – Clever Song (1987) Margins: * 7 lengths - Pink Pigeon (1968) 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 ...

: * 8 -

Bill Shoemaker William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey. For 29 years he held the world record for total professional jockey victories. Early life Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Sh ...

(1954, 1963, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1981) Most wins by a trainer: * 7 -

Charles Whittingham Charles Whittingham (16 June 1767 – 5 January 1840) was an English printer. Biography He was born at Caludon or Calledon, Warwickshire, the son of a farmer, and was apprenticed to a Coventry printer and bookseller. In 1789 he set up a small ...

(1967, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1981) Most wins by an owner: * 3 -

Charles S. Howard Charles Stewart Howard (February 28, 1877 – June 6, 1950) was an American businessman. He made his fortune as an automobile dealer and became a prominent thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse owner. Biography Howard was dubbed one of the most s ...

(1939, 1941, 1950) * 3 - Rex C. Ellsworth (1956, 1962, 1963)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
† Filly or Mare
§ Ran as part of an entry

External links

Santa Anita Media Guide for 2019 Winter Meet

2012 Hollywood Park Media Guide

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Open mile category horse races Turf races in the United States Horse races in California Santa Anita Park Recurring sporting events established in 1938 1938 establishments in California Grade 3 stakes races in the United States

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References