The Cougar II 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 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 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 foundin ...

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 De ...

. 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 The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes, is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and up, and contested on dirt at usually at a distance of miles. The race has a purse of US$350,000. It is run as part of the underca ...

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 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 J ...

(1988, 1991, 2002) * 3 – Glen Hill Farm (1974, 1977, 2003) * 3 –

Gary A. Tanaka Gary A. Tanaka (born June 23, 1943, in Hunt, Idaho) is an American businessman, sportsman and philanthropist who co-founded the investment company Amerindo Investment Advisors in 1979 along with Alberto Vilar. Early life and education Tanaka w ...

(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 (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 (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 (2008, 2016, 2019, 2022)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an

entry Entry may refer to: *Entry, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States *Entry (cards), a term used in trick-taking card-games *Entry (economics), a term in connection with markets * ''Entry'' (film), a 2013 Indian Malayalam fil ...

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