The Mint Julep Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and

mare 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 ...

s, four years old and older over a distance of one and one sixteenth miles on the turf scheduled annually in late May or early June at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. It currently offers a purse of $200,000.

History

From its inaugural running in 1977 to 1986, the event was run on the dirt course, but was moved to the turf course beginning in 1987. The race is named for the

Mint Julep Mint julep is a mixed alcoholic drink, or cocktail, consisting primarily of bourbon, sugar, water, crushed or shaved ice, and fresh mint. As a bourbon-based cocktail, it is associated with the American South and the cuisine of the Southern Unite ...

, a popular drink with racing fans at

, particularly seen on

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 ...

day. The event was split into divisions in 1987 and 1990. Between 1983 and 2004 the conditions of the event were for fillies and mares that were four year olds and older. In 2001 the event was upgraded to a Grade III. From 2001 to 2014 the event was known as the Early Time Mint Julep Handicap. Beginning in 2015, the Mint Julep Handicap became the

Old Forester Old Forester is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced by the Brown–Forman Corporation. It has been on the market continuously for longer than any other bourbon (approximately 150 years as of 2020), and was the first bourbon so ...

Mint Julep Handicap for sponsorship reasons.

Distances

It has been run at the following distances: * miles (1.71 km) : 1990–present * miles (1.81 km) : 1988–1989 * 1 mile (1.61 km) : 1983–1987 * 7 furlongs (1.41 km) : 1977–1982

Records

;Speed record * miles – 1:40.70 Quite A Bride (2007) ;Margins: * 5 lengths – Lillian Russell (1981) ;Most wins * 2 – Megans Bluff (2001, 2002) ;Most wins by an owner * 2 – Carl F. Pollard (2003, 2015) * 2 – James C. Routsong (2001, 2002) * 2 – Richard and Bertram Klein (2013, 2016) * 2 – Madaket Stables (2020, 2021) ;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 – Robby Albarado (1997, 2005, 2006, 2007) ;Most wins by a trainer * 5 – William I. Mott (1987, 1996, 2005, 2006, 2007)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
† In 1997, Romy won but was disqualified for interference in the stretch and set back to fourth.

References

{{Reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Mile category horse races for fillies and mares Turf races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1977 Churchill Downs horse races 1977 establishments in Kentucky Grade 3 stakes races in the United States