The Yellow Ribbon Handicap (formerly known as the Palomar Handicap) 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

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with foundi ...

Del Mar, California Del Mar (; Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach town in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The Del Mar Horse Races are hosted on the ...

. The Grade II race is run on

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 agricult ...

at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles (8.5

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 hor ...

s) and is open to

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 ...

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 fo ...

s, age three and up. The Palomar Handicap was first run in 1945 as a six furlong race on dirt for three-year-olds. It was not run again until 1952 when it was made an event for three-year-old fillies. After being put on hiatus again, it became an annual event in 1955. Since 1970, it has been contested on turf. From its inception, the race has been contested at various distances: * 6 furlongs : 1945–1969 * 7.5 furlongs : 1970–1976 * 8 furlongs (1 mile) – 1977–1987 * 8.5 furlongs ( miles) : 1988–present It was raced in two divisions in 1970, 1971, 1973, 1982, and 1991. This race is now called the Yellow Ribbon Handicap. (The original Yellow Ribbon Stakes run during the

Oak Tree Racing Association The Oak Tree Racing Association is an American nonprofit corporation that exists to conduct live thoroughbred horse racing in Southern California. Graded Stakes races at the Oak Tree meet Since Oak Tree Racing moved to Hollywood Park in 2010, some ...

Meeting is now called the

Rodeo Drive Stakes The Rodeo Drive Stakes is a Grade I race for thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three-years-old and upwards. It is run at Santa Anita Park with a current purse of $300,000 and is contested over a distance of . Originally named the Yellow Ribbo ...

Records

Speed record: (at current distance of 8.5 furlongs) * 1:39.67 – Mea Domina (2006) Most wins: * 2 – Tranquility Lake (2000, 2001) *2 – Gotta Have Her (2009, 2010) * 2 – She's Not Here (2015, 2016) *2 – Cambodia (2017,2018) Most wins by an owner: * 3 –

Juddmonte Farms Juddmonte Farms is a horse breeding farm, owned until his death on 12th January 2021 by Prince Khalid bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. National Thoroughbred Racing Association"Juddmonte Farms, Inc.", profile. Retrieved October 16, 2007. Overview ...

(1992, 2004, 2005) Most wins by a jockey: * 5 –

Bill Shoemaker William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey. For 29 years he held the world record for total professional jockey victories. Early life Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Sho ...

(1952, 1971, 1973, 1979, 1982) Most wins by a trainer: * 8 – Robert J. Frankel (1986, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007) * 7 – Charles Wittingham (1973, 1974, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1989)

Winners

† In 1984,

Royal Heroine Royal Heroine (1980–2002) was a Hall of Fame Thoroughbred Champion racehorse foaled in Ireland who raced in England and France and then in the United States where she set a North American record for a mile on turf while winning the inaug ...

finished first but was disqualified and set back to third.

References

{{Reflist
The 2009 Palomar Handicap at the NTRA
Del Mar Racetrack Horse races in California 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 1945