The Las Flores Stakes is an 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 ...

held annually during the first week of April 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 ...

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 ...

. In 2015, due to the 2013 closing of

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 ...

and extensive rescheduling, the race was run in early March. Open to

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 ...

and

mares A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four y ...

age four and older, the Grade III event is contested on Pro-Ride synthetic dirt over a distance of six and one half

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s. Until 2008 the race was run at a distance of six furlongs. Inaugurated in 1951 as the Las Flores Handicap the event was run for three-year-olds and up from 1951 through 1959, for four-year-olds and up from January 1960, 1972, 1975, 1981 through 1987, and again in 1989, and for all ages December 1972, 1973 and 1979. It was run in January and December 1960, 1972, 1977 and 1987, in December 1960 through 1970, and December 1977, 1978 and 1987. The Las Flores Handicap was run in two divisions in 1963. There was no race in 1953, 1969, 1971, 1974, 1980 or 1988.

Records

Speed record: * 1:14.12 – Tiz Elemental (2008) (at present distance of 6.5 furlongs) * 1:08.02 – Ema Bovary (2004) (at previous distance of 6 furlongs) Most wins: * 2 – Chop House (1963, 1964) 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 –

Bill Shoemaker William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey. For 29 years he held the world record for total professional jockey victories. Early life Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Sh ...

(1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1966) * 5 –

Laffit Pincay Jr. Laffit Alejandro Pincay Jr. (born December 29, 1946, in Panama City, Panama) was once flat racing's winningest all-time jockey, still holding third place many years after his retirement. He competed primarily in the United States. Career Pinca ...

(1970, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1999) Most wins by a trainer: * 4 –

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 ...

(2006, 2011, 2016, 2017) * 4 – Gordon C. Campbell (1965, 1972, 1977, 1982) Most wins by an owner: * 2 –

Fred W. Hooper Fred William Hooper (October 6, 1897 – August 4, 2000) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. He was a member of The Jockey Club, an honorary director of the Breeders' Cup, and one of the founders of the Thoroughbred Owners ...

(1961, 1991) * 2 – M/M Bert W. Martin (1963, 1964) * 2 –

Bernard J. Ridder Bernard Joseph "Ben" Ridder (June 29, 1913 – July 29, 1983) was an American newspaper publisher who served as chairman of the board of directors of Ridder Publications, Inc. and an executive in the California Thoroughbred horse racing industr ...

(1972, 1977) * 2 –

Siegel family The Riley family are fictional characters on the American soap opera ''One Life to Live'' present at its debut in 1968. The Irish Catholic American clan is formed around the relationships and descendants of protagonist Joseph "Joe" Riley. They a ...

(1990, 1992)

Winners

* † In 1964 there was a

Dead heat A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a Tie (draw), tie and the competitors are awarde ...

for first.{{refend

References

The 2008 Las Flores Handicap at the NTRA
Horse races in California Santa Anita Park Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Flat horse races for four-year-olds Open sprint category horse races Recurring sporting events established in 1951 Annual sporting events in the United States 1951 establishments in California