The Monmouth Oaks 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 at

Monmouth Park Racetrack 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 ...

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,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 ...

. Named for England's

Epsom Oaks The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

, first run in 1779, the inaugural American edition took place in 1871. Originally raced over a distance of miles from 1871 through 1877, there was no race in 1878 but on its return the following year was modified to miles. In 1891, the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the ...

began a move to ban

parimutuel betting Parimutuel betting or pool betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vigorish" are deducted, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winnin ...

and the Oaks had to be moved to the

Jerome Park Racetrack Jerome Park Racetrack was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility from 1866 until 1894. It was located in a part of Westchester County, New York that was annexed into the Bronx in 1874. Jerome Park Racetrack was the home of the Belmont Sta ...

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 New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. With a legislated permanent ban, after the 1893 running the Monmouth Park Racetrack was shut down and the property sold. In 1946, Thoroughbred racing returned to a new Monmouth Park racing facility. The revived Monmouth Oaks was set at 1 1/16 miles.

Historical notes

Over the years, the Oaks has been won by some of the best fillies in the United States including U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductees,

Dark Mirage Dark Mirage (March 6, 1965 – July 9, 1969) was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Racing career Dark Mirage was 15.1 hands high. In her 1967 campaign as a two-year-old, she had two minor wins in fifteen starts. As a ...

(1968), Gallant Bloom (1969) and

Desert Vixen Desert Vixen (1970–1982) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. She was the leading American filly of her generation, winning an Eclipse Award at the ages of both three and four. She was later inducted into the U. S. Racing Hall of Fame. Ra ...

(1973). The inaugural running at the Long Branch track took place on July 6, 1871 and the mile and one-half race was won by Kentuckian Abraham Buford's Salina, a daughter of Lexington and out of the mare Lightsome by Glencoe. In winning the 1956 edition of the Monmouth Oaks, Levee's time of 1:48 4/5 broke the track record for a mile and one-eighth on dirt. In 1969 Gallant Bloom earned her fourth straight win of the year, capturing the Oaks by 12 lengths.

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

won the 2000 running of the Monmouth Oaks then went on to win that year's

Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or ...

for owner Prince Ahmed bin Salman's

The Thoroughbred Corp. The Thoroughbred Corporation is a Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding operation established in 1994 by principal partner Prince Ahmed bin Salman of the Saudi Arabian royal family. It was based at an facility at Bradbury Estates, in Bradbury, ...

Spain retired as the richest mare in North American racing history.''Thoroughbredtimes.com''

Records

Speed record: * 1:41.54 @ 1-1/16 miles: Shahama. (2022) * 1:48.00 @ 1-1/8 miles: Golden Horde (1985) & Without Feathers (1987) * 2:12.50 @ 1-1/4 miles:

Firenze Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

(1887) * 2:42.00 @ 1-1/2 miles: Woodbine (1872) 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 -

Eddie Arcaro George Edward Arcaro (February 19, 1916 – November 14, 1997), was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Tripl ...

(1947, 1949, 1950, 1954, 1955) Most wins by a trainer: * 5 - Todd A. Pletcher (2004, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2022) Most wins by an owner: * 3 - August Belmont Sr. (1872, 1876, 1890) * 3 -

Pierre Lorillard IV Pierre J. Lorillard IV (October 13, 1833 – July 7, 1901) was an American tobacco manufacturer and Thoroughbred race horse owner. Early life Born in Westchester, New York, he was the son of Pierre Lorillard III (1796–1867) and Catherine Gris ...

(1877, 1882, 1885)

Winners

* † $ value reported is winners share of the purse from inception in 1871 thru 1893.

References

{{reflist Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Horse races in New Jersey Flat horse races for three-year-old fillies Monmouth Park Racetrack Recurring sporting events established in 1871 1871 establishments in New Jersey