The Matron 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

fall Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southe ...

season at Belmont Park, the

New York Racing Association The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest Thoroughbred horse racing tracks in the state of New York, United States: Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens; Belmont Park i ...

(NYRA) track in Elmont, Long Island, New York. It is open to two-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 ...

and is the filly counterpart to the

Belmont Futurity Stakes The Futurity Stakes, commonly referred to as the Belmont Futurity, is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-September or October at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, United States. Open to two-year-old horses, it is raced on turf ...

. The Matron Stakes was run over a straight course before 1959, with the exception of 1941. Always a race for two-year-old horses, it has been run under different conditions four times: * 1892–1901 : on dirt, open to both colts and fIllies * 1902–1914 : on dirt, a division for colts and geldings and a division for fillies * 1915–2017 : on dirt, for fillies only * 2018–present : on

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 ...

, for fillies only The inaugural race took place at

Morris Park Racecourse Morris Park Racecourse was an American Thoroughbred horse race, thoroughbred horse racing facility from 1889 to 1904. It was located in a part of Westchester County, New York that was annexed into the Bronx in 1895 and later developed as the neighb ...

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York where it remained until 1905 when it was moved to the new Belmont Park. Through special arrangements, in 1910 it was hosted by

Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Ol ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. The NYRA's Aqueduct Racetrack hosted the event in 1960 and again from 1962 to 1968. There was no race held from 1895 to 1898 and as a result of the passage of New York state's Hart–Agnew Law that banned parimutuel wagering, from 1911 to 1913. The race was placed on hiatus from 1915 to 1922. When it was revived in 1923 as part of the Belmont Park schedule, the Matron was won by the Greentree Stable filly Tree Top who beat twelve other competitors. Runnerup Nellie Morse went on to win the 1924

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () o ...

and earn

American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ...

honors. The third-place finisher, Princess Doreen, would have a career that saw her win three National Championships and induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. In 2001 the race was cancelled in observance of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

in New York City.

Records

Speed record: (At distance of 7 furlongs) * 1:22.80 –

Meadow Star Meadow Star (May 19, 1988 – April 11, 2002) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. She was described by Breeders' Cup Inc. as "one of the greatest 2-year-old fillies ever". Foaled in Florida, Meadow Star was bred by Jaime Carrion a ...

(1990) Most wins by a jockey: * 6 – Ángel Cordero Jr. (1974, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991) Most wins by a trainer: * 9 – D. Wayne Lukas (1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2005) Most wins by an owner: * 7 – H. P. Whitney (1905 (2), 1907, 1909, 1910, 1926, 1929)

Winners

* † In 1994,

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

finished first but was disqualified. * †† In 1947, Bewitch finished first but was disqualified.

References

{{reflist 1892 establishments in New York (state) Horse races in New York (state) Belmont Park Morris Park Racecourse Flat horse races for two-year-old fillies Graded stakes races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1892