The Barbara Fritchie Stakes is an American race for

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

horses The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

run at

Laurel Park Racecourse Laurel Park, formerly Laurel Race Course, is an American thoroughbred racetrack located just outside Laurel, Maryland which opened in 1911. The track is miles in circumference. Its name was changed to "Laurel Race Course" for several decades unt ...

in February. A Grade III event, this race is open to

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 age four and up. It is run at seven

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 hors ...

s on the dirt and offers a purse of $250,000. Originally a handicap, the race is currently run under allowance weight conditions. The race is run in honor of

Barbara Fritchie Barbara Fritchie (née Hauer; December 3, 1766 – December 18, 1862), also known as Barbara Frietchie, and sometimes spelled Frietschie, was a Unionist during the Civil War. She became part of American folklore in part from a popular poem ...

, who was an American patriot during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. According to legend, Fritchie, a 95-year-old woman at the time, stood in the street and attempted to block or at least antagonize Confederate General

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

and his troops by waving the Union flag as they marched through Frederick, Maryland, on their campaign to the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

.2007 Maryland Jockey Club Media Guide, page 45 on March 3, 2007. The Barbara Fritchie Handicap was run at Bowie Race Course in

Bowie, Maryland Bowie () is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 58,329. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous c ...

, from 1952-1984 before being moved to its present location at Laurel Park. The race was a grade 3 race from 1973-1991 before being upgraded to grade 2 status for the 1992 running. The race was not held in 1960, 1972 and 2006. Its distance was six furlongs from 1957 to 1959 and 1963, and it was run at one mile in 1961.

Tosmah Tosmah (1961–1992) was a champion Thoroughbred race horse. She was the leading American filly of her generation at both two and three years of age. Background Tosmah was bred in Kentucky by Eugene Mori. Her sire was the great Tim Tam (horse ...

won this race in 1966. The race was downgraded to Grade III status in 2019. The race was run in two divisions in 1982, 1984 and 1985.

Records

Speed record: * 7 furlongs - 1:21.40 - Tappiano (1989) * 6 furlongs - 1:10.80 - All Brandy (1963) and Tinkalero (1958) * miles - 1:44.80 - Sotto Voce (1954) Most wins by an horse: * 2 -

Xtra Heat Xtra Heat (March 3, 1998—December 2022) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse and broodmare. Despite competing almost exclusively at sprint distances, she was named American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly at the Eclipse Awards for 200 ...

(2002 & 2003); * 2 -

Twixt TwixT is a two-player Abstract strategy game, strategy board game, an early entrant in the 1960s 3M bookshelf game series. It became one of the most popular and enduring games in the series. It is a connection game where players alternate tu ...

(1974 & 1975); * 2 - Skipat (1979 & 1981) 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 ...

: * 4 - Donnie Miller Jr. (1982, 1984, 1984, 1985) Most wins by a trainer: * 3 - J. Bowes Bond (1952, 1958, 1970) * 3 - Katharine Voss (1974, 1975, 1992) Most wins by an owner: * 2 - nine different owners are tied with two wins each

Winners

References

{{reflist

External links

Laurel Park racetrack
Graded stakes races in the United States Sprint category horse races for fillies and mares Horse races in Maryland Laurel Park Racecourse Bowie Race Track 1952 establishments in Maryland Horse races established in 1952

Records

Winners

See also

References

External links