The Monmouth Cup 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-years-old and older run over a distance of miles annually in early July at
Monmouth Park
Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with ...
in
Oceanport, New Jersey
Oceanport is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 5,832,[Meadowlands Racetrack
The Meadowlands Racetrack (currently referred to as Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment) is a horse racing track at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The track hosts both thoroughbred racing and harness ...]
on 29 October 1977 and was won by Pay Tribute who was trained by the
Hall of Fame
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 Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
trainer
Ron McAnally
Ronald L. McAnally (born July 11, 1932, in Covington, Kentucky) is an American Hall of Fame trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing. Called "one of the most honored and respected of North American trainers" by Thoroughbred Times Co., Inc, as a chi ...
and ridden by
Hall of Fame
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 Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
jockey
Ángel Cordero Jr. by lengths in a time of 2:02 over the miles distance.
[
The event was the signature event at the Meadowlands track with its high stakes attracting class horses. Within two years when ]champion
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
three-year-old Spectacular Bid
Spectacular Bid (February 17, 1976 – June 9, 2003) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and holds the world record for the fastest 1 1/4 miles on the dirt. He won 26 of his 30 r ...
won the event in stakes record time it was classed as Grade II. The event was upgraded to Grade I in 1983.[
The event was decreased to its present miles distance in 1990.] That year's running posed one of the largest upsets in North American racing history when Great Normand won at 181-1 odds.
There was no race held in 1997 or 2011.[ The race was downgraded from a Grade II to a Grade III in 2017, and the purse was reduced to $100,000 from the previous $200,000.][
The event was moved to Monmouth Park in 2010 and was renamed to the Monmouth Cup Stakes.
Sharp Azteca's win in 2017 set a track record at Monmouth for the distance of miles, beating ]Formal Gold
Formal Gold (foaled April 20, 1993 in Ontario) is a retired Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who raced in the United States. He is famous for defeating Hall of Fame champion Skip Away in four of their six meetings, with major stakes wins incl ...
's 1:40.20 that was set in August 1997.
Records
Speed record:
* miles: 1:45.93 – Etched (2009)
* miles: 1:40.19 – Sharp Azteca (2017)
* miles: 1:58.80 – Alysheba
Alysheba (March 3, 1984 – March 27, 2009) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won two legs of the Triple Crown in 1987. A successful sire, he produced 11 stakes winners.
A bay colt, Alysheba was sired by Alydar out of the mare Bel ...
(1988)
;Margins
* 8 lengths – Marquetry (1993)
* lengths – Sharp Azteca (2017)
Most wins:
* 2 – Etched (2009, 2010)
* 2 – Bradester (2015, 2016)
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 ...
:
* 4 – Ángel Cordero Jr. (1977, 1978, 1983, 1986)
* 4 – John R. Velazquez (1998, 2001, 2004, 2006)
Most wins by a trainer:
* 4 – Todd A. Pletcher (2004, 2006, 2012, 2021)
Most wins by an owner:
* 2 – Darley Stable (2009, 2010)
* 2 – Joseph W. Sutton (2015, 2016)
Winners
''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry
See also
* List of American and Canadian Graded races
The List of American and Canadian Graded races is a list of Thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada that meet the graded stakes standards maintained by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders ...
References
{{reflist, 2
Graded stakes races in the United States
Open mile category horse races
Horse races in New Jersey
Recurring sporting events established in 1977
1977 establishments in New Jersey
Grade 3 stakes races in the United States
Monmouth Park Racetrack
Meadowlands Racetrack