The Cougar II Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds over a distance of one and one-half miles on the dirt, scheduled annually in late July or early August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The event currently carries a purse of $150,000.

History

The event was inaugurated during the first racing season at Del Mar race track on 31 July 1937 as the Escondido Handicap over a distance of six furlongs for horses three-year-old or older. The event was an under card event on Del Mar Handicap day. The winner was Clean Out and the second and third place getters were mares. The event was held once more in 1938 but was interrupted for 11 years and did not resume until 1949 as an event for three-year-old fillies. In 1950 the event was held for two-year-olds as the Escondido Stakes. The event was idle for three years from 1952 and when it was resumed in 1955 the distance was set to miles. In 1956 the Irish-bred Poona set a new track record for the -mile distance of 1:40.20. In 1962 the event was moved to the new turf track and run over the mile and one-eighth distance. Between 1963 and 1984 the event was held in split divisions eight times. From 1976 to 1988 the event was held over the mile and one-sixteenth distance with the exception of 1984 when it was held over furlongs and in 1985 when the event was not held due to a boycott by trainers. In 2007 the event was renamed in honor of

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

inductee, the Chilean-bred

Cougar II Cougar II (1966–1989) was a Chilean Thoroughbred racehorse who also competed in the United States, where he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Cougar was noted for his late running style and versatility, winnin ...

as the Cougar II Handicap who had set a course record when winning this event in 1970. The race from 1988 to 2007 was run as an overnight restricted handicap for horse three-years-old who had not won a sweepstakes during the year over a distance of miles. In 2008 the event was moved to the new Polytrack artificial dirt surface which was installed at the track and the distance of the event was extended to miles. The event continued to be held on this surface until 2014. In 2010 the event was classified by 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. ...

as a Grade III race. The winner had automatic qualification for a berth in the Breeders' Cup Marathon before that race was discontinued in 2013. In 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...

, the event was canceled and not rescheduled. In 2021 the conditions of the event changed from a handicap to stakes with allowances and hence the name of the race was modified to Cougar II Stakes.

Records

Time record: * miles (dirt): 2:30.09 – Heywoods Beach (2022) * miles (polytrack): 2:29.01 – Irish Surf (2014) (Track record) * miles (turf): 2:12.06 - †Laura's Lucky Boy (2005) * miles (turf): 1:49.00 -

(

CHI Chi or CHI may refer to: Greek *Chi (letter), the Greek letter (uppercase Χ, lowercase χ); Chinese *Chi (length), ''Chi'' (length) (尺), a traditional unit of length, about ⅓ meter *Chi (mythology) (螭), a dragon *Chi (surname) (池, pin ...

) (1970) * miles (turf): 1:42.00 - Advocatum (1981) * miles (dirt): 1:40.20 - Poona II (

IRE Ire or IRE may refer to: Ire * Extreme anger; intense fury * Irē, the Livonian name for Mazirbe, Latvia * A town in Oye, Nigeria * ''Ire'' (album), a 2015 album by the Australian metalcore band Parkway Drive * Ire (Iliad), a town mentioned in ...

) (1956) (Track record) * furlongs (turf): 1:27.40 - Buck Price (1975) Margins: * lengths: – Irish Surf (2014) Most wins: * 2 – Big John A (1968, 1969) * 2 – Dowty (1997, 1998) * 2 – Richard's Kid (2012, 2013) Most wins by an owner: * 3 – Juddmonte (1988, 1991, 2002) * 3 – Glen Hill Farm (1974, 1977, 2003) * 3 – Gary A. Tanaka (1996, 2004, 2007) 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 ...

: * 4 –

Fernando Toro Fernando Toro (born January 31, 1941, in Santiago, Chile) is a retired US Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse racing jockey about whom Santa Anita Park called one of Southern California's most successful jockeys in the 1970s and '80s. On November 19 ...

(1970, 1978, 1987, 1988) * 4 –

Rafael Bejarano Rafael Bejarano (born June 23, 1982 in Arequipa, Peru) is a champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He trained at the Peruvian national riding school before embarking on his professional career in 1999. Having met with success, inclu ...

(2012, 2015, 2018, 2019) Most wins by a trainer: * 4 –

Robert J. Frankel Robert Julian Frankel (July 9, 1941 – November 16, 2009) was an American thoroughbred race horse trainer whom ESPN called "one of the most successful and respected trainers in the history of thoroughbred racing."Privman, Jay"Robert Frankel Dies ...

(1975, 1991, 1993, 2002) * 4 –

Richard E. Mandella Richard Eugene Mandella (born November 5, 1950 in Altadena, California), is a Thoroughbred horse trainer and a member of the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame. Mandella's father, a blacksmith, introduced him to horses at an early age and while still in ...

(1987, 2001, 2005, 2021) * 4 –

John W. Sadler John W. Sadler (born July 30, 1956) is an American horse trainer in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. He’s got over 2,600 race wins, including the 2018 Breeders' Cup Classic with Accelerate, who was subsequently named American Horse of the ...

(2008, 2016, 2019, 2022)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry
ƒ Filly or Mare
‡ In 1949 the event was for three-year-old fillies
♯ In 1950 the event was for two-year-olds as Escondido Stakes
† In the 2005 running, Sarafan was first past the post but was disqualified for interference in the straight and Laura's Lucky Boy was declared the winner.

External links

2022 Del Mar Media Guide

References

{{reflist, 2 Del Mar Racetrack Horse races in California Graded stakes races in the United States Open middle distance horse races Recurring sporting events established in 1937 Grade 3 stakes races in the United States 1937 establishments in California

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References