The Commonwealth Turf Cup 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 each year since 2015 at Laurel Park in

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River. While the city limits are entirely in northern Prince George's County, outlying developments extend into Anne Arunde ...

. It was previously known as the Colonial Turf Cup when it was held at

Colonial Downs Colonial Downs is a Race track, racetrack located in New Kent County, Virginia adjacent to Interstate 64, halfway between Richmond, Virginia, Richmond and Williamsburg, Virginia, Williamsburg. The track conducted Thoroughbred flat racing and Standa ...

race track in

New Kent County, Virginia New Kent County is a county in the eastern part the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 22,945. Its county seat is New Kent. New Kent County is included in the Greater Richmond Region. History Ne ...

. It is 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 ...

at a distance of one mile and is open to horses aged three years old and up. The current purse is $200,000. In 2009, the race was upgraded from a Grade III to a Grade II event.Six New Grade I Races for 2009 – bloodhorse.com
/ref> In 2011, the race changed its conditions to allow entry of older horses. This change caused the race to lose its graded status until 2013, when it again became a Grade II event. From 2005 to 2013, the race was run at miles. For the 2015 renewal, the distance was shortened to miles, and in 2016 to 1 mile.

Records

Fastest time: * miles : 1:52.98 Showing Up (2006) Most wins by an owner: * 1 – No owner has won the Colonial Turf Cup more than once 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 ...

: * 1 – No jockey has won the Colonial Turf Cup more than once Most wins by a Trainer: * 2 – Todd Pletcher (2005, 2012)

Winners of the Commonwealth Turf Cup

References

Colonial Turf Cup Information on Colonial Downs website about the Colonial Turf Cup
{{Triple Crown of Horse Racing Graded stakes races in the United States Flat horse races for three-year-olds Horse races in the United States Turf races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 2005 2005 establishments in Maryland