The Arlington Classic Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three year old horses over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in late May at Arlington Park race track near Chicago.

History

The event was inaugurated in 1929 as the Classic Stakes over a distance of miles on the dirt. At one time the Arlington Classic was one of the most important races in the United States, drawing the best 3-year-olds in the country. Triple Crown winner

Gallant Fox Gallant Fox (March 23, 1927 – November 13, 1954) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the second winner of the American Triple Crown. In a racing career which lasted from 1929 to 1930, Gallant Fox won 11 of his 17 races includ ...

attracted a crowd of 60,000 in 1930 and he continued his six race winning streak in the event. In 1932 when Gusto, a grandson of the great Man o' War won, it was then the richest race for 3-year-olds in America with a purse of $88,100. A noteworthy upset in the Arlington Classic occurred in 1946 when

Assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

, who had just won the

United States Triple Crown In the United States, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, commonly known as the Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. The three r ...

, finished last. The Arlington Classic was run at the now defunct Washington Park Racetrack from 1943 through 1945. It was known as the Grand Prix Stakes in 1971, 1972 and 1973 and in 1977 it was made open to horses three-year-olds and up as was labelled as the Arlington Classic Invitational Handicap. There was no race held in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1988, 1998 and 1999. The Arlington Classic became part of Arlington Park's "Mid-America Triple" which included the American Derby in July and the

Secretariat Stakes The Secretariat Stakes is a Graded stakes race, Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds over a distance of one mile on the Grass, turf. The event was originally raced at the now-closed Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illi ...

in August. The Triple was last won by

Honor Glide Honor Glide (foaled 1994 in Florida) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He won a number of important races between 1997 and 2001 and was particularly effective on turf courses. Background Sired by Honor Grades, whose grandsire was Northern ...

in 1997. The event held a Grade I classification between 1981 and 1989. In 2007, this Grade III stakes race was downgraded to an ungraded stakes by the

American Graded Stakes Committee {{short description, Organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders. ...

, but it has been returned to its Grade III status. The Arlington Classic was raced on dirt from 1929–1973, 1977–1987, 1989–1993.

Distance

Since its inception, the Arlington Classic has been contested over a variety of distances: * 1929–1951 – miles (dirt) * 1952–1972 – 1 mile (dirt) * 1973 – miles (dirt) * 1977–1979 – miles (dirt) * 1980–1993 – miles (dirt) * 1994–2001 – miles (turf) * 2001 onwards – miles (turf)

Records

Speed record: (at current miles distance) *1:41.87 – Silver Max (2012) Largest margin of victory: * 13 lengths – Alydar (1978) Most wins by an owner: * 4 – Belair Stud * 3 –

Calumet Farm Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of the Bluegras ...

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 ...

: * 6 – Pat Day * 4 – Braulio Baeza, René Douglas Most wins by a trainer: * 4 – Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons * 3 –

Ben A. Jones Benjamin Allyn Jones (December 31, 1882 – June 13, 1961) was an American thoroughbred horse trainer. Ben Jones was born in Parnell, Missouri, and attended Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri for high school. Jones went into the ...

, William I. Mott, Max Hirsch

Winners of the Arlington Classic

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
¶ Filly
† Held at Washington Park Race Track

References

{{reflist Flat horse races for three-year-olds Turf races in the United States Graded stakes races in the United States 1929 establishments in Illinois Recurring sporting events established in 1929 Arlington Park Horse races in Illinois