The Princess Rooney 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 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 aged three and older over a distance of seven

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 run annually in early July at

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park, owned by The Stronach Group, is a Thoroughbred race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Thoroughbred horse racing occurs year-round, defined by three distinct race meets ...

Hallandale Beach, Florida Hallandale Beach (formerly known simply as Hallandale) is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, the son of a Swedish worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. As of the 20 ...

History

The inaugural running of the event was on 10 August 1985 at

Calder Race Course Calder Casino is a casino located in Miami Gardens, Florida. It includes slots, electronic table games, and bingo. The casino opened in 2010 and features a gaming floor with 1,100 slot machines, including video poker, as well as electronic r ...

as the Princess Rooney Handicap. The event is named in honor for the U.S. Hall of Fame

filly 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 ...

Princess Rooney Princess Rooney (March 22, 1980 – October 7, 2008) was an American Eclipse Award, Champion Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was the first winner of a Breeders' Cup race to be inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame ...

, who won her first four starts at the Calder racetrack. The event was contested at a distance of seven furlongs until 1997. The event was run at six furlongs from 1998 to 2015. In 1999, the event was upgraded to Grade III status by 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. ...

and carried a $300,000 purse. Three years later the event was upgraded again to Grade II. The event was a

Grade I 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 ...

event from 2006 to 2014. In 2014 the event was not held and after negotiations between Calder Race Track and Gulfstream Park the event was moved to Gulfstream Park. In 2015 the event was downgraded back to Grade III. The event was modified as the Princess Rooney Stakes beginning with its 2015 running when the conditions of the event were changed from handicap to stakes allowance. In 2016 the distance of the event was increased back to the original 7 furlongs. The event today continues to be part of the

Breeders' Cup Challenge The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of Thoroughbred horse races in which the winner earns an automatic spot in a specified Breeders' Cup race. The challenge races change somewhat each year. The Challenge series began in 2007 with 24 "Win and Yo ...

"Win and You're In" series. 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 ...

, Gulfstream Park did not schedule the event in their updated and shortened spring-summer meeting. Since 2021 the event has been an invitational event.

Records

Speed record: *7 furlongs: 1:21.68 - Curlin's Approval (2017) *6 furlongs: 1:09.29 - Merry Meadow (2015) Margins: * lengths - Game Face (2009) Most wins: * 2 - Classy Tricks (1986, 1987) * 2 - Magal (1991, 1992) * 2 - Gold Mover (2002, 2003) * 2 - Stormy Embrace (2018, 2019) * 2 - Ce Ce (2021, 2022) 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 ...

: * 3 -

Jerry Bailey Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an Thoroughbred Racing on NBC, NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame jockey. Early years Bailey was born ...

(2002, 2003, 2005) Most wins by a trainer: * 5 - Martin D. Wolfson (1995, 1996, 2010, 2013, 2017) Most wins by an owner: * 2 - Harry Katz (1986, 1987) * 2 - Dolares S. Tamargo (1991, 1992) * 2 - Edward P. Evans (2002, 2003) * 2 - Matalona Thoroughbreds (2018, 2019) * 2 - Bo Hirsch (2021, 2022)

Winners

References

{{reflist, 2 Sprint category horse races for fillies and mares Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Horse races in Florida Recurring sporting events established in 1985 Gulfstream Park 1985 establishments in Florida

History

Records

Winners

See also

References