The Breeders' Stakes is 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 ...

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 ...

race horses Race Horses were a Welsh band based in Cardiff, Wales and originally from Aberystwyth. Formed in 2005 as Radio Luxembourg, they changed their name in 2009 due to possible legal problems with the radio station of the same name. Initially the m ...

foaled in Canada, first run in 1889. Since 1959, it has been the third race in the Canadian Triple Crown for three-year-olds. Held annually in August at

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, the Breeders' Stakes follows the June running of the

King's Plate The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate between 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest Thoroughbred horse race, having been founded in 1860. It is also the oldest continuously run race in North America. It is run at a distance of ...

and the July running of the

Prince of Wales Stakes The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to only three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of miles (1.9 km; ...

. At a distance of one-and-a-half miles, the Breeders' Stakes is the longest of the three Triple Crown races and is the only jewel raced 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 agricultu ...

(the King's Plate is raced on Tapeta synthetic dirt and the Prince of Wales on a traditional dirt track).

History

In 1959, the Canadian Triple Crown was created and then won by

New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It is the location of the national capital city of Nassau, whose boundaries are coincident with the island; it had a population of 246 ...

. Six more three-year-olds, including the filly

Dance Smartly Dance Smartly (1988–2007) was a Champion Thoroughbred racemare who went undefeated in 1991 while winning the Canadian Triple Crown and becoming the first horse bred in Canada to ever win a Breeders' Cup race. She was inducted into both the Can ...

, have since equalled the feat, with four of them doing so in a five-year period from 1989 to 1993. Six horses have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown but lost on the grass in the Breeders' Stakes. They are: *1970:

Almoner An almoner (} ' (alms), via the popular Latin '. History Christians have historically been encouraged to donate one-tenth of their income as a tithe to their church and additional offerings as needed for the poor. The first deacons, mentioned ...

finished second to Mary of Scotland (1970) *1975:

L'Enjoleur L'Enjoleur (1972 – January 26, 2000) was a Canadian Thoroughbred race horse. Bred and owned by prominent Montreal businessman Jean-Louis Lévesque, L'Enjoleur was sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Buckpasser, a son of another Hall o ...

finished third to

Momigi Momigi (foaled 1972 in Ontario) was a Canadian three-time Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Background Momigi was bred by E. P. Taylor at his Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario. She was sold to Japanese veterinarian Koichiro Hayata whose Hayata F ...

(1975) *1976:

Norcliffe Norcliffe (1973–1984) was a Canadian Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorse. He was sired by National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, U.S. Hall of Fame Champion Buckpasser out of the mare Dram ...

finished fifth to

Tiny Tinker Tiny may refer to: Kane Places * Tiny, Ontario, a township in Canada * Tiny, Virginia, an unincorporated community in the US * Tiny Glacier, Wyoming, US Computing * Tiny BASIC, a dialect of the computer programming language BASIC * Tiny Encryp ...

(1976) *1986:

Golden Choice Golden Choice (foaled 1983) is a Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning Canada's most prestigious horse race, the Queen's Plate. Sired by Val de l'Orne, the 1975 Prix du Jockey Club winner, his damsire was Barachois, a son of No ...

finished third to

Carotene The term carotene (also carotin, from the Latin ''carota'', "carrot") is used for many related unsaturated hydrocarbon substances having the formula C40Hx, which are synthesized by plants but in general cannot be made by animals (with the exc ...

(1986) *2000: Scatter The Gold finished third to Lodge Hill (2000) *2020: Mighty Heart finished seventh to Belichick (2020) In 1973

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

native,

Joan Phipps Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multipl ...

made history aboard Singing Spirit. Though she finished 11th, she became the first female

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 ...

to compete in one of the Canadian Triple Crown races. In 1999, 26 years after Phipps landmark race, Laurie Gulas rode

Free Vacation Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to proc ...

to victory in the Breeders' Stakes, becoming the first female jockey to win a Canadian Triple Crown race. In 2004,

Catherine Day Phillips Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Chris ...

became the first woman trainer to win the Breeders' Stakes. The 1994 renewal was held at

Fort Erie Race Track Fort Erie Race Track is a horse racing facility in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, that opened on June 16, 1897. The racetrack is often referred to as "the border oval" because of the track's proximity (barely a mile as the crow flies) to the U.S. ...

while the Woodbine turf course was undergoing renovations. Since 1957, the race has been run at miles. Earlier renewals were held at: * 9 furlongs — 1889-1924, 1952-1956 * 8.5 furlongs — 1925-1951 The greatest longshot to win the race was Miami Deco in 2010, who paid $132.10 for a $2 win bet. The slowest time ever recorded was 2:50 by Crowning Honors in 1985 when the rain turned the course into a "swamp".

Records

Speed record: * 2:26 2/5 – Charlie's Dewan (1995) Most wins by a

: * 5 –

Patrick Husbands Patrick Husbands (born May 22, 1973) is a Barbadian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. The son of a jockey, he began riding as a young boy, turning professional in his home country where he rode successfully until emigrating to Toronto, Ontari ...

(2003, 2006, 2007, 2015, 2021) Most wins by a trainer: * 9 –

Roger Attfield Roger L. Attfield (born 28 November 1939 in Newbury, Berkshire, England) is a Canadian thoroughbred horse trainer and owner and an inductee of both the Canadian and United States horseracing Halls of Fame. In his native England, Attfield ha ...

(2015, 2009, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1993, 1990, 1989, 1986) Most wins by an owner: * 9 -

Joseph E. Seagram Joseph Emm Seagram (April 15, 1841 – August 18, 1919) was a Canadians, Canadian Distilled beverage, distillery founder, politician, philanthropist, and major owner of thoroughbred racehorses. Early life Joseph Seagram was born April 15, 1841 at ...

(1889, 1891, 1895, 1901, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1916)

Winners

A † designates a

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

winner.

References

Racing Post ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...

: ** , , , , , , , , , {{Triple Crown of Horse Racing Turf races in Canada Restricted stakes races in Canada Flat horse races for three-year-olds Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing Woodbine Racetrack Recurring events established in 1889 1889 establishments in Ontario