The Arlington Oaks was an American
Grade III 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 ...
run at
Arlington Park
Arlington International Racecourse (formerly Arlington Park, the name was Arlington Park Jockey Club from as soon as 1948 up to 1955) was a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago reg ...
racetrack near
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. Raced on dirt over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 Furlongs), the race is restricted to three-year-old
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 ...
. It offers a purse of $150,000.
Inaugurated in 1930, after the running of the 1932 edition, the race was not run again until 1980. There was no race in 1998 and 1999 and was run for the last time in 2014.
Known as the Arlington Oaks from 1930 to 1992 and in 2000, it was run as the Arlington Heights Oaks from 1993 to 1997, the Singapore Plate from 2001 to 2003, and as the Arlington Breeders' Cup Oaks in 2004.
In 1985, the race was hosted by the
Hawthorne Race Course
Hawthorne Race Course is a racetrack for horse racing in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, near Chicago.
The oldest continually run family-owned racetrack in North America, in 2009 the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating syst ...
.
Historical notes
Alcibiades,
Hal Price Headley's 1929
American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly won the July 5, 1930 inaugural running of the Arlington Oaks. She would end the year being selected the
Three-Year-Old Champion Filly. The Grade 1
Alcibiades Stakes
The Alcibiades Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. A Grade I race, it is open to two-year-old fillies willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dir ...
at
Keeneland
Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for its ...
is named in her honor.
Canfli won the second edition of the Oaks for the stable of W. D. Waggoner and brothers from
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' reported that 25,000 racing patrons were on hand to see the 1931 race.
The
Sonny Whitney owned 1932 Oaks winner
Top Flight
Top Flight (April 15, 1929 – 1949) was an American U.S. Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. She was the leading American filly of her generation at two and three years of age.
Background
Bred in Kentucky by the very prominent horseman Harry ...
would also be named the Two and Three-Year-Old Filly Champion plus future induction into the
U.S. Racing Hall of Fame.
In 2001, a year the race was run as the Singapore Plate,
Caressing
Physical intimacy is sensual proximity or touching. It is an act or reaction, such as an expression of feelings (including close friendship, platonic love, romantic love or sexual attraction), between people. Examples of physical intimacy ...
was the winner, following up on her 2000
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies victory that had clinched Two-Year-Old National Champion Filly honors for her.
In 2005,
film director John Gatins made a
motion picture titled ''
Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story'' in which the horse "Soñador" is based on 1994 Arlington Oaks winner,
Mariah's Storm.
Records
Speed record:
* 1:48 1/5 @ 1 1⁄8 miles: Choose A Partner (1983)
Most wins by a
jockey:
* 2 –
Earlie Fires (1981, 1982)
* 2 –
Shane Sellers (1991, 1993)
* 2 –
Garrett Gomez
Garrett Keith Gomez (January 1, 1972 – December 14, 2016) was an American Thoroughbred jockey who won two Eclipse Awards and thirteen Breeders' Cup races during his career.
Racing career Early career
Gomez learned to ride by watching his fathe ...
(1992, 1997)
* 2 –
Robby Albarado
Robby J. Albarado (born September 11, 1973, in Lafayette, Louisiana) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding at the age of 10 and progressed to riding at bush tracks in his native Louisiana by the age of 12. After turning ...
(1996, 2006)
* 2 –
Mark Guidry
Mark Guidry (born August 6, 1959, in Lafayette, Louisiana) is a former American jockey. He ranks 22nd among jockeys in career wins with 5,222 wins as of March 7, 2014, the date of his last ride. He subsequently announced his retirement from ridi ...
(2000, 2007)
* 2 –
René Douglas
René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus.
René is the masculine form of the name ( Renée being the feminin ...
(2001, 2002)
Most wins by a
trainer:
* 4 –
Carl Nafzger
Carl A. Nafzger (born August 29, 1941, in Plainview, Texas) is an American Hall of Fame horse trainer. Before he was involved in horseracing he was a championship rodeo bull rider.
Nafzger trained Unbridled who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby and ...
(1983, 1989, 1991, 1995)
Most wins by an owner:
* 2 – Russell L. Reineman Stable Inc. (1981, 1995)
* 2 – Wimborne Farm (1993, 1996)
* 2 –
Stonerside Stable Stonerside Stable is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding farm and horse racing operation near Paris, Kentucky. Until September 2008 it was owned by Robert and Janice McNair, who also own the National Football League team, the Houston Texans. ...
(1997, 2004)
Winners
External links
The Arlington Oaks at Pedigree QueryArlington Park official website
References
{{reflist
Discontinued horse races
Horse races in Illinois
Flat horse races for three-year-old fillies
Recurring sporting events established in 1930
Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2014
Arlington Park
1930 establishments in Illinois
2014 disestablishments in Illinois