The Honeymoon 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-old

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 ...

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 May or early June 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 ...

. The event currently carries a purse of $100,000.

History

The event was inaugurated on 18 May 1952 as the Sea Breeze Stakes and was run at

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to the ...

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

before a crowd of 41,369. The event was run over 6 furlongs on the dirt and was won by Tonga in an upset starting at 51-1 defeating Princess Lygia and

A Gleam A Gleam (foaled 1949 in Kentucky) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who set a Hollywood Park Racetrack record with five straight stakes races in 1952. Breeding A Gleam was bred and raced by Calumet Farm. Her sire was British born Blenh ...

. The event honors the outstanding California bred mare,

Honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...

who won several races at Hollywood Park including the inaugural running of the

Hollywood Oaks The Summertime Oaks is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in June at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The Grade II event is open to three-year-old fillies willing to race on dirt at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles. ...

in 1946. Honeymoon was also successful at

winning the 1948

Santa Maria Handicap The Santa Maria Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late May at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A race for fillies and mares age four and older, it is contested on Pro-Ride synthetic dirt over a distan ...

. The event was changed to the Honeymoon Stakes in 1956 then the Honeymoon Handicap in 1975. The event was run in divisions in 1957 and 1965. The event was first run on the turf track in 1973. The event was 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 ...

from 1998 to 2018. After the closure of the

in 2013 the event has been held at

. The Honeymoon is a major leading prep race for the Grade I

American Oaks The American Oaks is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of one and one-quarter miles on the turf held annually in late December Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, USA. The event currently of ...

run during the first part of July.

Distance

Since inception, the race has been contested at a variety of distances: * miles : 1996–1999, 2002–present * miles : 2001 * miles : 1971–1995 * 1 mile : 1955–1967, 1970 * 7 furlongs : 1954 * 6 furlongs : 1952–1953

Records

Speed record: * mile – 1:46.37 Going Global (IRE) (2021) * mile – 1:40.20 Hot Option (1989) 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 –

Eddie Delahoussaye Edward J. Delahoussaye (born September 21, 1951) is a retired American Thoroughbred jockey from New Iberia, Louisiana. He began his career in 1968 and ten years later became the top American jockey with 384 wins. He has won the Kentucky Derby ...

(1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995) Most wins by a trainer: * 4 – Charles E. Whittingham (1967, 1971, 1972, 1982)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
† Ran as an entry
‡ In 1993, the race was run off the turf, but retained its GIII status.

External links

Santa Anita Media Guide for 2019 Winter Meet

References

{{reflist, 2 1952 establishments in California Horse races in California Santa Anita Park Flat horse races for three-year-old fillies Turf races in the United States Graded stakes races in the United States Horse races established in 1952 Grade 3 stakes races in the United States