The Eddie Read Stakes is a Grade II 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 three-year-olds 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 agricult ...

course scheduled annually in late July or early August at

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with foundi ...

Del Mar, California Del Mar (; Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach town in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The Del Mar Horse Races are hosted on the ...

. The event currently carries a purse of $250,000.

History

The inaugural running of the event was on 25 August 1974 as the Eddie Read Handicap with

Elmendorf Farm Elmendorf Farm is a Kentucky Thoroughbred horse farm in Fayette County, Kentucky, involved with horse racing since the 19th century. Once the North Elkhorn Farm, many owners and tenants have occupied the area, even during the American Civil War. Mo ...

's My Old Friend winning as the 9-1 longshot winning by length in a time of 1:49. The event was named in honor of William E. (Eddie) Read who served as the publicity directory at Del Mar and died 28 May 1973. In 1980 the event was upgrade by the

Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association {{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 breeder ...

to Grade III. Two years later the event upgraded once more to Grade II. With the stake money increasing yearly and the quality of the entrants running the race performing well in high level events the event was upgraded to the highest classification of Grade I in 1988. In the

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

era the event became a logical preparatory race for both the

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 incepti ...

and Breeders' Cup Turf. The 1993 winner of the event, the French-bred Kotashaan, went on to win the Breeders' Cup Turf and later was voted to win US Champion Male Turf Horse and US Horse of the Year honors. In 2006 the Irish-bred

Aragorn Aragorn is a fictional character and a protagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''. Aragorn was a Ranger of the North, first introduced with the name Strider and later revealed to be the heir of Isildur, an ancient King of Ar ...

set a new stakes and track record of 1:44.79 winning by four lengths as a 3-2 favorite. In 2009 the conditions of the event were changed from handicap to stakes allowance and the name of the event was modified to the Eddie Read Stakes. In 2016 the event was downgraded to Grade II.

Records

Speed record: * 1:44.79 -

(2006) (new race and course record) Margins: * 5 lengths - Special Ring (2003) Most wins: * 2 - United (2020, 2021) * 2 - Wickerr (1981, 1982) * 2 - Fastness (1995, 1996) * 2 - Special Ring (2003, 2004) * 2 - Acclamation (2011, 2012) Most wins by an owner: * 3 - Edmund A. Gann (1981, 1982, 1986) Most wins by a jockey: * 5 -

Corey Nakatani Corey S. Nakatani (born October 21, 1970 in Covina, California, United States) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He got his big break in 1990 when he rode Itsallgreektome to win big stakes races. Nakatani has long resided on the S ...

(1994, 1996, 2002, 2006, 2009) Most wins by a trainer: * 7 - Robert J. Frankel (1977, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1989, 1992, 1997)

Winners

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry

External links

2020 Del Mar Media Guide

References

{{reflist, 2 Del Mar Racetrack Horse races in California Open mile category horse races Recurring sporting events established in 1974 1974 establishments in California Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Turf races in the United States

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References