The Pebbles 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 year old fillies 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 September at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the ...

. The event currently carries a purse of $150,000.

History

The event is named after

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ( ar, محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم, links=no; ; born 15 July 1949) is the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, vice president, prime minister, and minister of defence of the United Arab Emir ...

’s champion grass mare Pebbles. This chestnut mare won the 1985

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

at Aqueduct as a four-year-old. Also at the age of 4, she was voted the U.S. Champion Female Turf Horse, and Champion Older Mare and Champion Miler in England. The inaugural running of the event was on 1 September 1993 over a distance of miles and was won by Peter E. Blum's Statuette who won the event by a neck over the French bred mare Tricky Princess in a time of 1:40.68. The following year the event was decreased to one mile but in 1995 the event was restored back to miles. From 1996 to 2003 the event was held under handicap conditions. In 1998 the distance was increased again to miles and the following year the event was classified as a Grade III event. In 2001 the event was split into two divisions. The event was run on the dirt track due to the conditions of the turf track in 1995, 2002 and 2005. In 2005 the distance of the event was decreased to the current distance of one mile. In 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...

, NYRA did not schedule the event. The

American Graded Stakes Committee {{short description, Organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders. ...

restored the event back to Grade III for 2022 after a period of 18 years. Also the event in 2022 was moved to

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

due to infield tunnel and redevelopment work at

Records

Speed record: *1 mile: 1:33.35 – Blowout (GB) (2019) * miles: 1:40.68 – Statuette (1993) * miles: 1:47.50 – Love n' Kiss S. (2001) Largest margin of victory: * lengths – Peace Preserver (2012) 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 – John R. Velazquez (1998, 2000, 2003, 2012, 2019) Most wins by a trainer: * 5 –

Chad C. Brown Chad C. Brown (born December 18, 1978) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer known for his expertise with turf horses and with fillies and mares. He has trained ten Eclipse Award winners including Stacelita, Big Blue Kitten, Lady Eli, ...

(2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022) Most wins by an owner: * 2 – Flaxman Holdings (2002, 2010) * 2 –

Klaravich Stables Seth Andrew Klarman (born May 21, 1957) is an American billionaire investor, hedge fund manager, and author. He is a proponent of value investing. He is the chief executive and portfolio manager of the Baupost Group, a Boston-based private inve ...

(2015, 2022)

Winners

''Legend:''

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 3 stakes races in the United States 1993 establishments in New York (state) Recurring sporting events established in 1993 Horse races in New York (state) Flat horse races for three-year-old fillies

History

Records

Winners

See also

References