The H. Allen Jerkens Memorial 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 for three-year-olds run over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt held in August at Saratoga Race Course in

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

. The current purse for the event is $500,000.

History

The inaugural running of the event was on 18 August 1984 as the seventh race on the undercard of

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds according to internation ...

day as The King's Bishop Stakes and was won by Commemorate who was trained by

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

trainer Lazaro Barrera in a time of 1:22.

King's Bishop King's Bishop (1969–1981) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Background King's Bishop was a bay horse bred in Kentucky by Warner L. Jones, Jr. He was sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Round Table. He was out of the mare Sp ...

was originally owned by

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

founding president

Craig F. Cullinan Jr. Craig Francis Cullinan Jr. (May 17, 1925 – March 17, 2004) was an American oilman from Texas and baseball executive. He served as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Houston Sports Association, the founding group of thirty members that ...

and trained by

H. Allen Jerkens Harry Allen Jerkens (April 21, 1929 – March 18, 2015) was an American thoroughbred race horse Hall of Fame trainer. Jerkens' father owned a riding academy on Long Island that led to his interest in horse racing, and in the spring of 195 ...

, who trained the horse to wins in the 1973 Carter Handicap and Fall Highweight Handicap for

Allaire du Pont Allaire du Pont (May 4, 1913 – January 6, 2006) was an American sportswoman and a member of the prominent French-American Du Pont family of chemical manufacturers who is most remembered as the owner of the Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fam ...

. The event was not held in 1986. In 1987 the event was classified as Grade III, upgraded to Grade II in 1992 and since 1999 the race has been a

event. In 2017 the New York Racing Association renamed the race for the late

trainer

, who over a career spanning seven decades, his horses had upset racing champions – such as

Onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...

's victory over Secretariat in the 1973 Whitney Handicap – earning him the nickname "the Giant Killer". Several winners of the race have gone on to win

American Champion Sprint Horse The American Champion Sprint Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1947, in 1971 it became part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to the top horse in sprint races (usually those run at a distance ...

honors that same year, including

Housebuster Housebuster (foaled March 7, 1987, in Kentucky – May 15, 2005) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was sired by graded stakes race winner Mt. Livermore and was out of the Great Above mare Big Dreams. Bred by Blanche P. Levy ...

(1990),

Lost in the Fog Lost in the Fog (February 4, 2002 – September 17, 2006) was an American thoroughbred race horse. He won his first 10 starts (including two Breeders' Cup stakes), 11 of his 14 lifetime starts across the country, and career earnings of $978,099. ...

(2005), Runhappy (2015) and

Drefong Drefong (foaled February 19, 2013) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who was named the American Champion Sprint Horse at age three after winning the King's Bishop Stakes and Breeders' Cup Sprint. He also won the Forego Stakes at age four. Background ...

(2016). Hard Spun (2007) went on to top that year's

World's Best Racehorse Rankings The Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (LWBRR), known as World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings (WTRR) before 2012, are horseracing's equivalent to World Rankings by other major sporting organizations such as ATP Tennis Rankings, World Golf R ...

for three-year-old sprinters.

Records

Speed record: *1:20.54 – Runhappy (2015) Margins: * lengths – Tale of the Cat (1997) 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 – John Velazquez (2002, 2006, 2010, 2019) *4 –

Mike E. Smith Michael Earl Smith (born August 10, 1965) is an American jockey who has been one of the leading riders in U.S. Thoroughbred racing since the early 1990s, was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2003, and has won the ...

(1991, 1992, 1993, 2016) Most wins by a trainer: *5 –

D. Wayne Lukas Darrell Wayne Lukas (born September 2, 1935 in Antigo, Wisconsin) is an American horse trainer and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. He has won twenty Breeders' Cup races, received five Eclipse Awards for his accomplishments, and his horses ha ...

(1985, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996) Most wins by an owner: *2 – Lloyd R. French Jr. (1985, 1989) *2 – Michael Tabor (1996, 2004)

Winners

''Notes:''
† In the 2009 event Vineyard Haven was first past the post but disqualified for drifting out in the straight and twice bumping Capt. Candyman Can. Capt. Candyman Can was declared the winner.

External links

* at Hello Race Fans

References

{{reflist, 2 Grade 1 stakes races in the United States Flat horse races for three-year-olds Recurring sporting events established in 1984 Horse races in New York (state) Saratoga Race Course 1984 establishments in New York (state)

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References