The Awesome Again Stakes is a
Grade I
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 horses aged three years old or older over the distance of one and one-eighth miles on the dirt scheduled annually in September at
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...
in
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of th ...
. The event currently carries a purse of $300,000.
History
The event was inaugurated on 9 October 1982 as the Goodwood Handicap at the
Oak Tree Racing Association
The Oak Tree Racing Association is an American nonprofit corporation that exists to conduct live thoroughbred horse racing in Southern California.
Graded Stakes races at the Oak Tree meet
Since Oak Tree Racing moved to Hollywood Park in 2010, some ...
meeting at Santa Anita Park as the eighth race on the racecard over a distance of miles and was won by the and
US Hall of Fame,
Lázaro "Laz" Barrera trained Cajun Prince who tied the track record for the distance that was set by
Ancient Title
{{Infobox racehorse
, horsename = Ancient Title
, image =
, caption =
, sire = Gummo
, grandsire = Fleet Nasrullah
, dam = Hi Little Gal
, damsire = Bar Le Duc
, sex = Gelding
, foaled = 1970
, country = United States
, colour = Ba ...
in 1978.
The race was named for Oak Tree Racing Association's sister operation at
Goodwood Racecourse
Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in lat ...
near
Chichester
Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
The event was run at the miles distance in 1983, 1984 and again in 1986.
In 1985 the event was classified by the American Graded Stakes Committee as Grade III and was upgraded to Grade II status in 1990.
Between 1996 and 2006, 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, ...
sponsored the event which reflected in the name of the event.
[
In 2012 the event was upgraded to Grade I and was renamed in honor of the ]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 ...
bred 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October o ...
winner Awesome Again
Awesome Again (March 29, 1994December 15, 2020) was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and stallion. As a three-year-old, he won the Queen's Plate in Canada and the Jim Dandy Stakes in the United States. He was undefeated at age four ...
. Also Awesome Again is the sire of the dual winner of this event, Game On Dude
Game On Dude (foaled April 26, 2007 in Kentucky) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse gelding. He won fourteen graded stakes races, including eight Grade I stakes: the Santa Anita Handicap in 2011, 2013, and 2014 the only horse to have wo ...
.
Records
Time record:
* miles: 1:46.72 - Bertrando (1994)
* miles: 1:40.20 - Cajun Prince (1982)
Margins:
* lengths - Smooth Roller (2015)
Most wins:
* 2 - Lord At War (ARG) (1984, 1985)
* 2 - Pleasantly Perfect
Pleasantly Perfect (April 2, 1998 – June 3, 2020) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who retired as the fourth-richest American horse in career earnings.
Background
Pleasantly Perfect was sired by Pleasant Colony, winner of the 1981 Kentucky Derby ...
(2002, 2003)
* 2 - Game On Dude
Game On Dude (foaled April 26, 2007 in Kentucky) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse gelding. He won fourteen graded stakes races, including eight Grade I stakes: the Santa Anita Handicap in 2011, 2013, and 2014 the only horse to have wo ...
(2011, 2012)
Most wins by an owner:
* 2 - Peter Perkins (1984, 1985)
* 2 - Diamond A Racing (2002, 2003)
* 2 - Family Trust Diamond Pride, Lanni Family Trust, Mercedes Stable & Bernie Schiappa (2011, 2012)
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 - Gary Stevens (1988, 1994, 1998, 2005, 2013)
Most wins by a trainer:
* 8 - Bob Baffert
Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakne ...
(1998, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022)
Winners
''Legend:''
''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry
† In the 1996 running Alphabet Soup
Alphabet soup may refer to:
*A common dish made from alphabet pasta
*Alphabet soup (linguistics), a metaphor for an abundance of abbreviations or acronyms
* Alphabet Soup (ultimate frisbee), a mixed European ultimate frisbee team
*Alphabet Soup (ho ...
won the race but was disqualified and placed third. Savinio was declared the winner.
See also
List of American and Canadian Graded races
The List of American and Canadian Graded races is a list of Thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada that meet the graded stakes standards maintained by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders ...
External site
2015 Santa Anita Park Media Guide
Find out more about the Awesome Again Stakes (formerly known as Goodwood) at Hello Race Fans!
References
{{reflist, 2
Open mile category horse races
Grade 1 stakes races in the United States
1982 establishments in California
Horse races in California
Recurring sporting events established in 1982
Santa Anita Park
Breeders' Cup Challenge series