The Kona Gold 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 horses that are three years old or older with allowance conditions, over a distance of six and one half

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s on the dirt held annually in April at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of th ...

. The event currently carries a purse of $100,000.

History

The event was inaugurated on Wednesday, 2 March 1983 as the Potrero Grande Handicap for horses four year old and older and was won by Hi-Yu Stable's

Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

bred

Chinook Pass Chinook Pass (elevation 5430 ft./1656 m.) is a pass through the Cascade Range in the state of Washington. The pass is located on the crest of the Cascade Range, along a ridge between Yakima Peak to the northwest of the pass, and Naches Pea ...

who was ridden by US Hall of Fame jockey

Laffit Pincay Jr. Laffit Alejandro Pincay Jr. (born December 29, 1946, in Panama City, Panama) was once flat racing's winningest all-time jockey, still holding third place many years after his retirement. He competed primarily in the United States. Career Pinca ...

in a time of 1:14.

would continue on a superb season with several more wins on the

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

circuit culminating him being crowned as U.S. Champion Sprint Horse for that year. The event was named after Rancho Potrero Grande, a

Mexican land grant The Spanish and Mexican governments made many concessions and land grants in Alta California (now known as California) and Baja California from 1775 to 1846. The Spanish Concessions of land were made to retired soldiers as an inducement for ...

in present-day

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

today located nearby in

Rosemead Rosemead is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2021 census, it had a population of 50,245, currently dropping. Rosemead is part of a cluster of cities, along with Alhambra, Arcadia, Temple City, Monterey Park ...

and

South El Monte South El Monte is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,116, down from 21,144 at the 2000 census. Geography According to the United States Cen ...

, about 6 miles from Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia. The event was upgraded to a Grade III in 1988. That year the event only attracted three starters with

Gulch In xeric lands, a gulch is a deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion. It may contain a small stream or dry creek bed and is usually larger in size than a gully. Sudden intense rainfall upstream may produce flash floods in the bed of the gulch. I ...

winning in an upset victory over the 1987

Breeders' Cup Sprint The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older. Run on dirt Corrected grade for Santa Anita sprintover a distance of 6 Furlongs ( mile), the race has been held annually si ...

winner and 1/2 odds favorite

Very Subtle Very Subtle (foaled 1984 in Kentucky) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won three Grade I stakes including the 1987 Breeders' Cup Sprint against male opponents in which she defeated the heavily favored Groovy by four lengths. Very Subtl ...

by a length margin. Gulch won go on that year and win the

and be crowned the U.S. Champion Sprint Horse. With the seen quality of winners that were winning the American Graded Stakes Committee of the

Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association {{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. ...

upgraded the event to a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in 1997. Between 1996 and 2007, the

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

sponsored the event which reflected in the name of the event. The event was held on the All Weather synthetic track between 2008 and 2010. On return to holding the event on the dirt track in 2011 the conditions of the event were modified from handicap to an allowance. In 2015 the administration of the Los Angeles Turf Club rename the event to the Kona Gold Stakes in honor of the dual winner of the event (2000 and 2001)

Kona Gold Kona Gold (March 19, 1994 – September 25, 2009) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Kona Gold was foaled at Carlos Perez's Twilite Farm outside LaGrange, Kentucky. He was sold as a yearling for $35,000 at the 1995 Keeneland Sept ...

and third placegetter of the 2003 race. Kona Gold had an outstanding record at Santa Anita Park with many wins on the

circuit. His most important win was in the 2000

which was vital in him being awarded the U.S. Champion Sprint Horse. 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 ...

, Santa Anita closed their track and the event was cancelled. In 2021 Cezanne defeated three other starters by a new record margin of lengths breaking a 31 year record that was set by Olympic Prospect in 1990 of seven lengths. Other fine horses that have won this event and have gone on to win the

later in their career include Cardmania,

Lit de Justice In France under the Ancien Régime, the ''lit de justice'' (, "bed of justice") was a particular formal session of the Parliament of Paris, under the presidency of the king, for the compulsory registration of the royal edicts. It was named thus ...

and Amazombie. The 2002 winner Kalookan Queen is the only mare to have won the event.

Records

Speed record: *1:13.71 – Son Of A Pistol (1998) Margins: * lengths – Cezanne (2021) Most wins: * 2 –

(2000, 2001) * 2 – Amazombie (2011, 2012) * 2 – Brickyard Ride (2022, 2023) 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 –

Alex Solis Alex O. Solis (born March 25, 1964) is a jockey based in the United States. He lives in Glendora, California and rides predominantly in Southern California. He got his big break and his first gained national prominence when he won the 1986 Preaknes ...

(2000, 2001, 2002, 2006) * 4 – Garrett K. Gomez (1998, 2005, 2010, 2013) Most wins by a trainer: * 6 – Bruce Headley (1986, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006) Most wins by an owner: * 3 – Aase & Bruce Headley (2000, 2001, 2006)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
§ Ran as part of an entry

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Open sprint category horse races Horse races in California Recurring sporting events established in 1983 Santa Anita Park 1983 establishments in California Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Sports competitions in Los Angeles County, California

History

Records

Winners

See also

References