The Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes is a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

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

mares 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 y ...

aged three and older over a distance of one mile 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 early May on the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

day meeting 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 ...

during the spring meeting.

History

This race was inaugurated on 7 May 1983 as the Twin Spires Stakes with conditions for three year olds only over a distance of miles on the dirt. The event was won by Le Cou Cou after he was declared the winner after racing stewards disqualified High Honors who lugged in the straight and interfered with Le Cou Cou. The event was idle for three years and was renewed in 1987 at a shorter distance of miles. The event was renamed Capital Holding Twin Spires Stakes in 1988 the first on many name changes and was run again with that name in 1989. In 1990 the event was moved to turf and conditions were modified to the current

and

aged three and older. The event was classified as Grade III in 1997. 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. ...

upgraded the race to its current Grade II status in 2009. In 2009, this race was upgraded from a Grade III to a Grade II event. The event has had many different sponsors which have been reflected in the name of the event. In 2000 Churchill Downs administration renamed the event to the current Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes while still accepting sponsorship. With added high profile sponsorship the event has attracted high quality runners in recent years. Tepin, dual winner of the event in 2015 and 2016 won the 2015

Breeders' Cup Mile The Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's incept ...

and in 2016 the prestigious

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Grade I

Woodbine Mile The Woodbine Mile is a Grade I stakes race on turf for Thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up held annually in mid September at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Canada. Currently sponsored by Ricoh, the Woodbine Mile offers a purse of Can$1, ...

was crowned US Champion Female Turf Horse in both years.

Records

Speed record: *1 mile: 1:33.96 - Heat Haze (GB) (2003) Margins * 5 lengths - Fast Forward (1987) Most wins: * 2 - Foresta (1990, 1991) * 2 - Tepin (2015, 2016) * 2 - Beau Recall (IRE) (2019, 2020) 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 ...

(1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1995) Most wins by a trainer: * 4 -

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 ...

(1996, 2001, 2002, 2011) Most wins by an owner: * 3 -

Juddmonte Farms Juddmonte Farms is a horse breeding farm, owned until his death on 12th January 2021 by Prince Khalid bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.National Thoroughbred Racing Association"Juddmonte Farms, Inc.", profile. Retrieved October 16, 2007. Overview Ju ...

(2003, 2006, 2011)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
† In the 1983 inaugural running, High Honors was first past the post but was disqualified for interference in the straight and Le Cou Cou was declared the winner.

External links

2019 Churchill Downs Media Guide - $400,000 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Turf races in the United States Mile category horse races for fillies and mares Churchill Downs horse races 1983 establishments in Kentucky Recurring sporting events established in 1983

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References