The Cardinal Stakes is a Grade III 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

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

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 ...

s three-years-old and older over a distance of one and one eighth miles on the

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 ...

held annually in November at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. The event offers a purse of $100,000.

History

The event was named after the official state bird of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, the

Northern cardinal The northern cardinal (''Cardinalis cardinalis'') is a bird in the genus ''Cardinalis''; it is also known colloquially as the redbird, common cardinal, red cardinal, or just cardinal (which was its name prior to 1985). It can be found in southea ...

. The event was inaugurated on 23 November 1974, as the Kentucky Cardinal Stakes as a miles dirt race for three year olds and was won by veterinarian Albert F. Polk Jr's Cut the Talk, who was trained by Ohio native James E. (Jim) Morgan and ridden by Darrell Brown in a time of 1:45. The event was run for three year olds only one more time in 1975. In the 1976 the conditions of the event were changed to

and

s that were three years old or older at a distance of seven furlongs as the Kentucky Cardinal Handicap. In 1982 the event was increased to 1 mile for one year and in 1983 increased again to back its inaugural running distance of miles. In 1987 the event was scheduled on the

over a distance of miles with the name Cardinal Handicap. The following year the distance of the event increased to miles but it was moved off the turf and onto the main track due to inclement weather. The

American Graded Stakes Committee {{short description, Organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders. ...

classified the event as Grade III in 1995. The 2017 edition of the race, won by Tricky Escape, was run on dirt as the turf course was deemed unfit for racing. The race's Grade III status was kept for 2017. The event has been run in split divisions nine times, the last of which was in 1990. The event was run as a handicap prior to 2019. The event was not run in 2020 and 2021.

Records

Speed record: * miles: 1:47.29 – Daisy Devine (2012) * miles (dirt): 1:45.20 - Cut the Talk (1974) *7 furlongs (dirt): 1:24.20 - Unreality (1978), Safe Play (1981) Margins: *5 lengths – Vite View (1980), Lake Champlain (IRE) (1987) Most wins: * no horse with more than one win Most wins by an owner: * 3 – Helen C. Alexander (1988, 1992, 2009) 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 –

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991 an ...

(1983, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1995) Most wins by a trainer: * 6 –

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 ...

(1985, 1987, 1995, 1997, 2008, 2011)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
† In the 1996, running Bail Out Becky was first past the post by lengths but was disqualified for interference as the horse turned into the straight bumping the eventual second place finisher Miss Caerleona. Miss Caerleona was declared the winner and Bail Out Becky placed second.

External site

Churchill Downs Media Guide - $175,000 Cardinal (Grade III)

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Turf races in the United States Mile category horse races for fillies and mares Churchill Downs horse races Recurring sporting events established in 1974 1974 establishments in Kentucky Horse races in Kentucky

History

Records

Winners

See also

External site

References