The Ballston Spa Stakes is 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 ...

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

mares 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 four y ...

that are four years old or older over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles 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 ...

course scheduled annually in late July or early August at

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actua ...

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

. The event currently carries a purse of $400,000.

History

The inaugural running of the Ballston Spa Stakes was 4 August 1983 and was restricted to

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

bred

and

that were three years old or older and run at a distance of 7 furlongs on the dirt. The name of the event honors

Ballston Spa, New York Ballston Spa is a village and the county seat of Saratoga County, New York, United States, located southwest of Saratoga Springs. The population of the village, named after Rev. Eliphalet Ball, a Congregationalist clergyman and an early settler, wa ...

, a small town just south of Saratoga Springs. The Ballston Spa name was not used again until 1997. NYRA created a race in 1989 with

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

incentives that was the forerunner of today's event. The event with additional sponsorship from

Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. ''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unrelat ...

was known as the Aqueduct Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap and it was run in late October over a distance of one mile. In 1994 the event was moved to Saratoga and was renamed as the Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap with an increase of distance to miles. In 1995 the event was classified as Grade III and upgraded to Grade II in 2006. In 1997 the event was renamed once more to the Ballston Spa Handicap. The 2002 event was taken off the turf track due to consistent rain during the days before the event which resulted in seven scratchings leaving a small field of three to run. Surya won by the stakes largest distance of lengths with over 50 lengths separating second and third on the muddy track. Several champions have won this event including the 2004–05 Australian Champion Three Year Old Filly

Alinghi Alinghi, or Alinghi Red Bull Racing because of the sports marketing branding by Red Bull, is the syndicate set up by Ernesto Bertarelli, racing under the colors of the Société Nautique de Genève, to challenge for the America's Cup, as well as ...

, the 2006 US Champion Three-Year-Old Filly

Wait A While Wait A While (foaled March 4, 2003) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Although she showed some good form on dirt she had her greatest success on turf and won twelve of her twenty-four races in a track career which lasted from ...

, who was a dual winner of the event, the 2012 US Champion Female Turf Horse French bred Zagora who later that year would also win the

Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for fillies and mares, three years old and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championship ...

and

Lady Eli Lady Eli (foaled February 2, 2012 in Kentucky) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse who was named the American Champion Female Turf Horse of 2017. She first came to national attention when she won the 2014 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. She ...

, US Champion Female Turf Horse in 2017.

Records

Speed record: * miles: 1:38.77 – Strike Charmer (2016) * 1 mile: 1:33.80 – Wakonda (1989) Margins: * lengths – Surya (2002) Most wins: * 2 – Weekend Madness (1994, 1995) * 2 –

(2007, 2008) Most wins by an owner: * 2 – New Phoenix Stable (1994, 1995) * 2 – Arindel Farm (2007, 2008) 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 ...

: * 5 –

John Velazquez John R. Velazquez (born November 24, 1971) is a Puerto Rican jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. He began his career in Puerto Rico and moved to New York in 1990. In 2004 and 2005 he was the United States Champion Jockey by earnings and both yea ...

(1997, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008) Most wins by a trainer: * 7 –

Chad C. Brown Chad C. Brown (born December 18, 1978) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer known for his expertise with turf horses and with fillies and mares. He has trained ten Eclipse Award winners including Stacelita, Big Blue Kitten, Lady Eli, ...

(2012, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry
‡ The inaugural event was restricted to

bred

and

that are three years old or older.

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Mile category horse races for fillies and mares Horse races in New York (state) Turf races in the United States Saratoga Race Course Recurring sporting events established in 1983 1983 establishments in New York (state)

History

Records

Winners

See also

References