The Maker's Mark Mile 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 age four years old and older over a distance of one mile 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 agricultu ...

held annually in early April at

Keeneland Race Course Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for its ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

during the spring meeting.

History

The event was inaugurated as the Fort Harrod Stakes on 13 April 1989 and was run over distance of about miles the won by the seven year old Yankee Affair who set a course record in winning the event in a time of 1:43. The following year the event was decreased to the current distance of one mile. The Fort Harrod Stakes was named after the

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

which was named after

James Harrod James Harrod () was a pioneer, soldier, and hunter who helped explore and settle the area west of the Allegheny Mountains. Little is known about Harrod's early life, including the exact date of his birth. He was possibly underage when he served i ...

, who led an early party of settlers into Kentucky in the 1770s. In 1997 the

Maker's Mark Maker's Mark is a small-batch bourbon whisky produced in Loretto, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is bottled at 90 U.S. proof (45% alcohol by volume) and sold in squarish bottles sealed with red wax. The distillery offers tours, and is part of ...

distillery located not far from Lexington, began their sponsorship of the event and Keeneland's administration renamed the event to the Maker's Mark Mile Stakes. In 2010 the event was once again renamed to a

bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * A beer produced by Bras ...

distilled by Maker's Mark – Maker's 46 Mile Stakes. The event was classified a Grade III in 1991 and was upgraded to Grade II race in 2000. In 2008 the event reached as a Grade I status confirming the quality that had competed in previous years and continues to attract. Several class horses who have won this event in the spring have continued to prove their dominance. The 1991 winner,

Opening Verse Opening Verse (1986–2002) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in England and the United States. Background Bred in Kentucky, his sire was the 1977 Epsom and Irish Derby winner, The Minstrel. Out of the mare Shy Dawn, his damsire was ...

continued on to win the

Breeders' Cup Mile The Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's incept ...

that year. Several others including

Artie Schiller Artie Schiller (foaled April 23, 2001 in Kentucky) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Haras du Mezeray of Ticheville, Orne in Lower Normandy, France, he was out of the mare Hidden Light, a daughter of multiple Grade I winner, ...

in 2005, 2006 US Champion Male Turf Horse

Miesque's Approval Miesque's Approval (foaled March 3, 1999 in Florida) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2006 Breeders' Cup Mile and was voted that year's American Champion Male Turf Horse. He was bred and raced by Charlotte Weber's Live Oak Planta ...

and

Kip Deville Kip Deville (May 3, 2003 – June 11, 2010) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse whose most important win came at age four in the 2007 Breeders' Cup Mile. He was an Eclipse Award finalist for American Champion Male Turf Horse in 2007. Backgr ...

in 2007 have also performed this feat. Twice

American Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to sanction the various awards, "Hor ...

(2012, 2013)

Wise Dan Wise Dan (foaled February 20, 2007) is a champion American Hall of Fame and Canadian Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. He is the first horse to win the same three Eclipse Awards in consecutive years, having been named American Horse of the ...

also won Breeders' Cup Mile in 2013 and also captured this event the following year for the second time. Miss Temple City is the only mare to have won this event in 2016.

Records

;Speed record * 1:33.54 – Perfect Soul (2004) ;Margins * lengths – Get Stormy (2011) ;Most wins * 2 –

(2013, 2014) * 2 –

(2007, 2008) ;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 ...

* 3 –

Jerry Bailey Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an Thoroughbred Racing on NBC, NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame jockey. Early years Bailey was born ...

(1991, 1993, 1996) * 3 –

Edgar Prado Edgar S. Prado (Lima, June 12, 1967) is a Peruvian-born American jockey, a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. His big break came in 1997 when he won 536 races, making him the fourth rider in history to win 500 races in ...

(2004, 2005, 2007) * 3 –

Javier Castellano Javier Castellano (born October 23, 1977, in Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Castellano began his riding career in 1996 at Santa Rita and La Rinconada racecourses in Venezuela. In June 1997 he ...

(2011, 2015, 2017) ;Most wins by an owner * 2 –

Allen E. Paulson Allen Eugene Paulson (April 22, 1922 – July 19, 2000) was an American businessman. Business career in aviation Born in Clinton, Iowa, Clinton, Iowa, Allen E. Paulson was on his own at age 13, supporting himself selling newspapers and doing ...

(1991, 1993) * 2 –

Gainsborough Farm Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...

(1999, 2002) * 2 –

IEAH Stables IEAH Stables (International Equine Acquisitions Holding) operated a thoroughbred horse racing stable in the United States that included Big Brown, the winner of the 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness . The company was based in Garden City, New York. ...

, Pegasus Holding Group Stables, J. Roberts & A. & S. Cohen (2007, 2008) * 2 – Morton Fink (2013, 2014) * 2 –

Gary Barber Gary Barber (born 1957) is a South African-born American film producer. Barber was the chairman and CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He is also co-founder of Spyglass Entertainment. Biography Barber was born to a Jewish family in Johannesburg, So ...

(2018, 2020) * 2 –

Charles E. Fipke Charles Edgar "Chuck" Fipke (born 1946) is a Canadian geologist and prospector who discovered the existence of diamonds around Lac de Gras in Canada's Northwest Territories. He is now a multimillionaire involved in geological explorations arou ...

(2004, 2022) ;Most wins by a trainer * 3 –

Roger L. Attfield Roger L. Attfield (born 28 November 1939 in Newbury, Berkshire, Newbury, Berkshire, England) is a Canadian thoroughbred horse trainer and owner and an inductee of both the Canadian and United States horseracing Halls of Fame. In his native En ...

(1992, 2004, 2022)

Winners

''Notes:''
† Filly or Mare

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 1 stakes races in the United States Grade 1 turf stakes races in the United States Open mile category horse races Keeneland horse races Recurring sporting events established in 1989 1989 establishments in Kentucky

History

Records

Winners

See also

References