The Blue Hen Stakes at

Delaware Park Racetrack Delaware Park (also known as ''DelPark'') is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track, casino, and golf course in Stanton, Delaware. It is located just outside the city of Wilmington, and about 30 miles from Philadelphia. Thoroughbred racing ...

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 ...

for two-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 ...

held annually in early October at

Stanton, Delaware Stanton is an unincorporated community in New Castle County, Delaware, United States, near the confluence of the Red Clay and White Clay Creeks. It is located in the southern end of Mill Creek Hundred. It was a distinct census-designated place for ...

. A non-graded stakes event raced on dirt, since 2004 it has been contested at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles (8.5

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). The Blue Hen is named for the

horse breeding Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in ...

term "Blue Hen," meaning a

mare 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 ...

who has proved herself exceptional in producing high quality

foal A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foal i ...

s, almost regardless of which

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

might be the sire. These sons and daughters would also affect the breed. An example of the highest sort of Blue Hen mare would be

La Troienne La Troienne (1926–1954) was one of the most famous and influential Thoroughbred broodmares in twentieth century America. She produced 10 winners including two Hall of Fame inductees while at stud, while her daughters in turn produced many notab ...

. In 1965 and 1971, the race was run in two divisions.

Winners since 2000

Earlier winners

(partial list) *1999 - Fiesty Countess *1998 - Godmother *1997 - Expensive Issue *1996 - The Lady's Unreal *1977 - Mesa Warrant *1976 - Nearna *1972 - Tuerta *1971 - Misty Bryn *1971 - Hasty Jude *1970 - Unity Hall *1969 - Gay Meeting *1968 - Parisian Parfait *1967 -

Obeah Obeah, or Obayi, is an ancestrally inherited tradition of Akan witches of Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Togo and their descendants in the African diaspora of the Caribbean. Inheritors of the tradition are referred to as "obayifo" (Akan/Ghana-region ...

*1966 - Regal Gleam *1965 - Ogirema *1965 - Turn To Talent *1964 - Come Hither Look *1963 - Katie Kitten *1962 - Nalee *1961 -

Cicada The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two ...

*1960 - Baby Kiki *1959 - Blonde Demond *1958 - Nora Dares

References

{{Reflist
The 2009 Blue Hen Stakes at Delaware Park
Ungraded stakes races in the United States Flat horse races for two-year-old fillies Delaware Park Racetrack