The Spiral Stakes (known as the Jeff Ruby Steaks, a

homophone A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. A ''homophone'' may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (p ...

of the word Stakes, for commercial reasons) is a Grade III

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 ...

at a distance of a one and one-eighth miles on the synthetic track in late March at

Turfway Park Turfway Park is an American horse racing track located within the city limits of Florence, Kentucky, about south of the Ohio River at Cincinnati. The track conducts live Thoroughbred horse racing during two meets each year—Holiday (December), ...

Florence, Kentucky Florence is a home rule-class city in Boone County, Kentucky, United States. Florence is the second largest city located in Northern Kentucky, after Covington, and part of the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Area. The population was 31,946 at ...

. The event currently offers a purse of $600,000.

History

The event was inaugurated on 1 April 1972 as the Latonia Spiral Stakes over a distance of one mile, established by the General Manager of the Latonia race track John Battaglia for horses "spiraling up" to the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

. The race in its infancy attracted many entries and the administration of the track decided to run the event in two divisions in the following years: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, and 1980. In 1982,

bourbon whiskey Bourbon () is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn. The name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbo ...

maker

Jim Beam Jim Beam is an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 (interrupted by Prohibition), seven generations of the Beam family have be ...

acquired naming rights sponsorship and the race was renamed the Jim Beam Spiral Stakes. That year the distance of event was increased to miles. Two years later the event was named the Jim Beam Stakes. The sponsorship deal lasted for 17 years and during that time the event attracted many of the prominent three year olds. In 1984, the event was upgraded to Grade III status, then, following the sale of the track to Jerry Carroll that led to the track's renaming to Turfway Park in 1986, featured a substantial purse increase in 1988, was upgraded to a Grade II race. In 1988, the distance of the event was increased to miles. The horse breeding facility

Lane's End Farm Lane's End Farm is a Thoroughbred horse breeding farm in Versailles, Kentucky established in 1979. The original land was part of Bosque Bonita Farm and was originally owned by Abraham Buford, a Confederate Army General. The land was later bought ...

took over sponsorship of the event in 2003 for eight years. The event was downgraded back to Grade III status in 2011. In 2013, the event was sponsored by the Horseshoe Casino in Cincinnati. Currently, the Spiral Stakes is sponsored by Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment, owner of Jeff Ruby's Steakhouses. As part of the sponsorship, the race is referred to as the Jeff Ruby Steaks (similar to other sporting events named for a product). On 30 March 1991,

Hansel "Hansel and Gretel" (; german: Hänsel und Gretel ) is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister. Hanse ...

set a new track record while winning the Jim Beam Stakes. In 1995, future

Hall of Famer 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 fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Serena's Song Serena's Song (foaled April 4, 1992) is an American Thoroughbred race horse. She won 17 graded stakes races, including 11 Grade I (some against males and older mares), in three seasons for $3,286,388 in earnings. Background Serena's Song is a s ...

became the first and only

filly 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 ...

to win the race. Other horses to win who went on to capture at least one of the

American Classic Races In the United States, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, commonly known as the Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. The three ...

includes Summer Squall (1990),

Lil E. Tee Lil E. Tee (March 29, 1989 – March 18, 2009) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1992 scored one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Kentucky Derby. Background A bay colt, Lil E. Tee was bred in Pennsylvania by Lawr ...

(1992),

Prairie Bayou Prairie Bayou (March 4, 1990 – June 5, 1993) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse owned and bred by Loblolly Stable of Lake Hamilton, Arkansas. Named for a bayou between Little Rock and Hot Springs in Arkansas, he was sired by L ...

(1993), and Animal Kingdom (2011). In 2021, as part of the Turfway Park renovation, the race was moved from the old Polytrack surface to the newly installed Tapeta surface, the race was also included as a high profile Championship series event on the

Road to the Kentucky Derby The Road to the Kentucky Derby is a points system by which horses qualify for a position in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby. It features dozens of stakes races for 2 and 3-year-old Thoroughbreds – the number and specific races have chang ...

Records

;Speed record * miles – 1:46.60

(1991) * miles – 1:42.00 Banner Bob (1985) * 1 mile – 1:36.60 Major Run (1980) ;Margins * 15 lengths – Bootlegger's Pet (1973) * 13 lengths – Five Star General (1980) * lengths – Balto Star (2001) ;Most wins by an owner * 4 – Golden Chance Farm (1977, 1978, 1980 (2)) ;Most wins by a jockey * 5 –

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991 an ...

(1984, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992) ;Most wins by a trainer * 7 –

William E. Adams William Edward Adams (June 16, 1939 – May 25, 1971) was a major in the United States Army who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War. On May 25, 1971, Adams volunteered to fly a helicopter to rescue ...

(1977 (2), 1978 (2), 1979, 1980 (2))

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
ƒ Filly

External sites

Turfway Park Media Guide 2018–19

References

{{reflist, 2 Turfway Park horse races Flat horse races for three-year-olds Triple Crown Prep Races Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1972 1972 establishments in Kentucky Horse racing in Kentucky Horse races in Kentucky

History

Records

Winners

See also

External sites

References