The Razorback Handicap 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 four-year-olds and older at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt run annually in February at

Oaklawn Park Race Track Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, formerly Oaklawn Park Race Track, is an American thoroughbred racetrack and casino in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to "The Racing Festival of the South", a four-day series of races that concludes with the A ...

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is n ...

. The event currently offers a purse of $700,000.

History

The event was inaugurated on 20 February 1960 as a $3,200 allowance race over the sprinting distance of furlongs and was won by Cyrob in a time of 1:05.80. The next season the race was scheduled later in March with an increased purse and distance of one mile and seventy yards thus becoming a natural preparatory race for the track's signature event for older horses - the

Oaklawn Handicap The Oaklawn Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in April at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A Grade II event raced on dirt, since 1984 it has been contested over a distance of miles (9 furlongs). It us ...

which is held in April. The first horse to perform the double feat was Swift Ruler in 1966. That year Swift Ruler set a new track and stakes record for the Razorback winning in a time of 1:39. In 1968 the event was run in split divisions. The winner of the second division, Barb's Delight had finished second in the 1967 Kentucky Derby The following year the distance of the event was increased to miles. In 1978 the event was upgraded to Grade III. Other notable winners of the event include Cox's Ridge in 1978 and 1981 winner Temperence Hill who resumed after being crowned the 1980 United States Champion Three-Year-Old Colt. The 1989 winner,

Allen E. Paulson Allen Eugene Paulson (April 22, 1922 – July 19, 2000) was an American businessman. Business career in aviation Born in Clinton, Iowa, Clinton, Iowa, Allen E. Paulson was on his own at age 13, supporting himself selling newspapers and doing ...

's Blushing John went onto be crowned United States Champion Older Male Horse. The 2017 United States Champion Older Male Horse

Gun Runner Arms trafficking or gunrunning is the illicit trade of contraband small arms and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations. The illegal trade of small ...

began his championship campaign with an emphatic length victory as the 1/5on favorite. Between 2005 and 2008, 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.

Records

Speed record: * miles – 1:40.40 Lost Code (1988) *1 mile and 70 yards – 1:39.20 Swift Ruler (1966) Largest Winning Margin: * lengths – Golden Lad (2014) Most wins by a jockey: * 6 –

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991 a ...

(1982, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1993) Most wins by a trainer: * 5 – Joseph B. Cantey (1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984) Most wins by an owner: * 2 – Earl Allen (1966, 1967) * 2 –

Loblolly Stable Loblolly Stable was a Thoroughbred horse breeding and racing stable in Lake Hamilton, Arkansas owned by businessman John Ed Anthony and his former wife Mary Lynn. The stable's first top runner was Cox's Ridge who won important races in 1977 an ...

(1978, 1981) * 2 – Happy Valley Farm (1982, 1983) * 2 –

(1982, 1983) * 2 – Don C. McNeill (2001, 2002) Razorback Handicap –

double: * Swift Ruler (1966), Charlie Jr. (1970), Gage Line (1972), Cox's Ridge (1978), Temperence Hill (1981), Eminency (1982), Lost Code (1988), Opening Verse (1990), Alternation (2012), Cyber Secret (2013), Raceday (2015)

Winners

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry
† In the 2010 running of the event Win Willy was first past the post and wagering was paid out as the winner, however the horse returned a positive swab for the presence of two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and consequently was disqualified from the prizemoney and was placed eighth (last). As a result, the first-place purse was awarded to Spotsgone and all other finishers were advanced one position for the purposes of purses.

External links

Oaklawn Park Media Guide 2020

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Horse races in Arkansas Oaklawn Park Recurring sporting events established in 1960 1960 establishments in Arkansas Grade 3 stakes races in the United States

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References