The Red Carpet Handicap (known until 2013 as the Beverly Hills Handicap) is 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 ...

held annually (as of 2014) during

Del Mar racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with foundi ...

's fall meet which has been created to accommodate the overflow of established races from closing of

Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may refer to: Places United States * Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California * Hollywood Park, Chicago, a neighborhood in North Park, Chicago, Illinois * Hollywood Park, Inglewood, an entertainment complex and m ...

. The Grade III is run over a distance of miles on

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 agricult ...

, and 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 three years of age and older. Originally the event was a Grade I race from 1988, then in 2003 The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association amended its status to a Grade II event. Since 2010 the event is a Grade IIIT. Of note, is that Hall of Fame jockey

Bill Shoemaker William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey. For 29 years he held the world record for total professional jockey victories. Early life Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Sho ...

, who retired from riding in 1990, earned his first Grade I win as a trainer in the 1991 edition of the Beverly Hills Handicap with the filly, Alcando. Since the inaugural running in 1968, the Beverly Hills Handicap has been contested at various distances: * miles : 1968-1975, 2014-2019 * miles : 1976-1985, 1987-1995 * miles : 1986, 1996-2011

Records

Speed record: (at distance of miles) * 1:58.56 - Astra (2002) Most wins: * 2 - La Zanzara (1974, 1975) * 2 - Swingtime (1977, 1978) * 2 -

Flawlessly Flawlessly (1988–2002) was an American Thoroughbred race horse bred by Harbor View Farm. She was a daughter of 1978 Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing champion Affirmed and La Confidence by Nijinsky II. At two, she trained under Dick Dutro ...

(1992, 1993) * 2 - Astra (2001, 2002) * 2 - Black Mamba (NZ) (2008, 2009) Most wins by a jockey: * 6 -

Chris McCarron Christopher John McCarron (born March 27, 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He mounted his first horse ever at 16.5 years old and was racing professionally by 18. At only 19 years o ...

(1979, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996) Most wins by a trainer: * 10 - Charlie Whittingham (1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993)

Winners

*In 1990 there was a

dead heat A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a tie and the competitors are awarded a joint ra ...

for first place.{{refend Horse races in California Del Mar Racetrack Hollywood Park Racetrack Graded stakes races in the United States Middle distance horse races for fillies and mares Turf races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1968 1968 establishments in California