The Lexington Stakes was an 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 three-year-old horses run between 1961 and 2007. A race on turf, the event was run at

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

from inception through 1976 after which it was moved permanently to

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the ...

. Contested at various middle distances, it was run as the Lexington Handicap from inception in 1961 through 1981. Named for one of America's greatest race horses as well as foundation sires, Lexington (''The Blind Hero of Woodburn''), the former

Graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is then ...

finished classified as a Listed event and offered a purse of $100,000.

Historical notes

The inaugural running of the Lexington Handicap took place on November 10, 1961 and was won by Milton Ritzenberg's Wise Ship. The race run at what would be the longest distance in its history at one and five-eighths miles. In his first start in a

stakes race Glossary of North American horse racing: Additional glossaries at: *Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting *Glossary of equestrian terms This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical terminology and jargon ...

Mongo Mongo may refer to: Geography Africa * Mongo, Chad, a Sahel city * Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo (Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction) * Mongo, Sierra Leone, a chiefdom * Mongo River (Little Scarces River), Guinea and Sierra Leone, a tributar ...

won the second edition of the Lexington in 1962 for the Montpelier stable of

Marion duPont Scott Marion duPont Scott (May 3, 1894 – September 4, 1983) was a thoroughbred horsebreeder who operated a racing stable for both flat and steeplechase racing. She was the last private owner of Montpelier, the mansion and land estate of former Unite ...

from the prominent

du Pont family The du Pont family () or Du Pont family is a prominent American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817). It has been one of the richest families in the United States since the mid-19th century, when it founded its fo ...

. Mongo's win marked the beginning of a very successful career in which he won a number of top turf races including the prestigious

Washington, D.C. International Stakes The Baltimore Washington International Turf Cup is an American Grade III invitational horse race run over one mile. Inaugurated in 1952, it was raced at Laurel Park Racecourse on the turf in Laurel, Maryland, at a distance of miles (12 furlongs ...

which led to being voted the 1963

American Champion Male Turf Horse The American Champion Male Turf Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. The award originated in 1953 when the ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) named Iceberg II their champion. The Thoroughbred Racing Association (TRA) added the cat ...

. The popularity of the Lexington with owners and trainers was such that it had to be run in two divisions in 1970, then four consecutive years from 1974 thru 1977. In 1982 it was again split into two divisions for what would prove to be the last time. The first division was won by

Majesty's Prince Majesty's Prince (foaled 1979 in Virginia, euthanized in 2009) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Background Bred at John D. Marsh's farm in Gainesville, Virginia, he was out of the mare Pied Princess, a daughter of 1953 American Horse o ...

while in the second part Royal Roberto was declared the winner after Dew Line was disqualified and set back to fifth. The 1977 U.S. Triple Crown champion jockey

Jean Cruguet Jean Cruguet (born March 8, 1939 in Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, France) is a retired French-American thoroughbred horse racing jockey who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. At age five, Cruguet was placed in an orphanage after hi ...

was aboard

Mac Diarmida {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Mac Diarmida , image = , caption = , sire = Minnesota Mac , grandsire = Rough'n Tumble , dam = Flying Tammie , damsire = Tim Tam , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1975 , country = United States , colour = ...

when he won the 1978 running of the Lexington defeating the now legendary Hall of Fame

gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

John Henry. Jockey

Ángel Cordero Jr. Ángel Tomás Cordero Jr. (born: November 8, 1942) is one of the leading Thoroughbred horse racing jockeys of the late 20th-century and the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the United States' Racing Hall of Fame. He led all jockeys in win ...

won this race in 1977, 1988, and 1991. In1994 the U. S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey was retired from riding and got his fourth win overall with his first as a trainer when Holy Mountain won the Lexington Stakes. On July 8, 2007 future Hall of Fame jockey

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 ...

rode Distorted Reality to victory in the final edition of the Lexington.

Records

Speed record: * 1:48.45 @ 1 Distorted Reality (2007) * 1:59.55 @ 1 Lech (1991) 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 –

Jerry Bailey Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an Thoroughbred Racing on NBC, NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame jockey. Early years Bailey was born ...

(1984, 1985, 1995, 2000, 2002) Most wins by a trainer: * 4 –

William I. Mott William I. "Bill" Mott (born July 29, 1953, in Mobridge, South Dakota) is an American horse trainer, most notable for his work with Cigar. Mott earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 1995 and 1996. He was inducted into the National ...

(1993, 1995, 2000, 2006) Most wins by an owner: * 2 – John M. Olin (1969, 1976) * 2 – Tartan Farms (James & Virginia Binger) (1979, 1981) * 2 –

Sheikh Mohammed Sheikh Muhammad (1560–1650) was a Muslim saint-poet who is venerated by Hindus. Sheikh Muhammad or alternatively Sheikh Muhammed, Sheikh Mohammad, Sheikh Mohammed may also refer to (in chronological birth order): * Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wah ...

(1993, 2003)

Winners

References

{{reflist Flat horse races for three-year-olds Discontinued horse races in New York (state) Belmont Park Aqueduct Racetrack Recurring sporting events established in 1961 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2007 1961 establishments in New York City 1961 disestablishments in New York (state)