The Pat O'Brien Stakes is 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 ...

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-olds 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 track scheduled annually in August 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 foundin ...

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 De ...

. The event currently carries a purse of $200,000.

History

The race was named in honor of actor and Del Mar Racetrack co-founder,

Pat O'Brien Pat O'Brien may refer to: Politicians * Pat O'Brien (Canadian politician) (born 1948), member of the Canadian House of Commons *Pat O'Brien (Irish politician) (c. 1847–1917), Irish Nationalist MP in the United Kingdom Parliament Others *Pat O'Br ...

''(1899–1983)''. Pat O'Brien, a classic character movie actor who often appeared in a

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

starring vehicle, loved the races. The inaugural running of the event was on 25 September 1980, the twelfth and final day of the Del Mar Fair meeting. The event was for two-year-olds, over a distance of furlongs on the turf track and was won by

Elmendorf Farm Elmendorf Farm is a Kentucky Thoroughbred horse farm in Fayette County, Kentucky, involved with horse racing since the 19th century. Once the North Elkhorn Farm, many owners and tenants have occupied the area, even during the American Civil War. M ...

's Seafood in a time of 1:30. The following year the

L.A. County Fair The Los Angeles County Fair is an annual county fair. It was first held on October 17, 1922, and ran for five days through October 21, 1922, in a former beet field in Pomona, California. Highlights of the fair's first year were harness racing, ...

was moved to Pomona Fairgrounds and the event was idle. In 1986 the administration of Del Mar renewed the event during their summer meeting as a sprint handicap over seven furlongs on the dirt. Between 1990–1995 and 2004–2006 the race had

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, ...

incentives which were reflected in the name of the event. The event was classified a Grade III event in 1994 and upgraded to Grade II in 1999. In 2009 the event became 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 ...

and after three runnings it was downgraded back to a Grade II stakes. Of the notable winners of the event are

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 ...

who won in 1995 in stakes record time, the following year he won the

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 ...

. The 1996 winner

Alphabet Soup Alphabet soup may refer to: *A common dish made from alphabet pasta *Alphabet soup (linguistics), a metaphor for an abundance of abbreviations or acronyms * Alphabet Soup (ultimate frisbee), a mixed European ultimate frisbee team *Alphabet Soup (ho ...

used the sprint event in his campaign which led to a victory in the

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October o ...

. The 2014 winner

Goldencents Goldencents (foaled March 7, 2010) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning consecutive runnings of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. As a two-year-old he ran three times, winning the Delta Jackpot Stakes and finishing second in t ...

went on to win his second

Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile is a Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up. As its name implies, it is part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the ''de facto'' year-end championship for North American t ...

Records

Speed record: *7 furlongs (dirt): 1:20.06 –

(1995) *7 furlongs (Polytrack): 1:20.99 –

(2014) Margins: * lengths – Catalina Cruiser (2018) Most wins: * 2 – Catalina Cruiser (2018, 2019) * 2 –

Disturbingthepeace {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Disturbingthepeace , image = , caption = , sire = Bold Badgett , grandsire = Damascus , dam = Regal Riot , damsire = Sovereign Dancer , sex = Gelding , foaled = 1998 , country = United States , colou ...

(2002, 2003) 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 ...

: * 6 –

Victor Espinoza Victor Espinoza (born May 23, 1972) is a Mexican jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing who won the Triple Crown in 2015 on American Pharoah. He began riding in his native Mexico and went on to compete at racetracks in California. He has wo ...

(2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009) Most wins by a trainer: * 8 –

Bob Baffert Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakne ...

(2000, 2001, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022) Most wins by an owner: * 2 – Hronis Racing (2018, 2019) * 2 – Rita & David Milch (2002, 2003)

Winners

''Legend:''

External links

2020 Del Mar Media Guide

References

{{reflist, 2 Del Mar Racetrack Horse races in California Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Open mile category horse races Recurring events established in 1980 Breeders' Cup Challenge series 1980 establishments in California

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References