The River City 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 age three and older over a distance of one and one eighth miles on the

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 agricultu ...

held annually in November at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. The event offers a purse of $100,000.

History

The name of the event is after a

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

for the city of

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

where river traffic between the upper

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

and the Gulf of Mexico provided the early settlement of Louisville as it grew as a portage site. The event was inaugurated on 30 October 1978, opening day of Churchill Downs Fall meeting as the River City Handicap as a six furlong dirt race and was won by Inca Roca who won his fifth race from fourteen starts in a time of 1:10. The event was run over six furlongs until 1981 and then increased to 1 mile. In 1987 the event was scheduled on the

over a distance of miles. The following year the distance of the event increased to miles but it was moved off the turf and onto the main track due to inclement weather. The

American Graded Stakes Committee {{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. ...

classified the event as Grade III in 1996 and was won by the 2/1 favourite Same Old Wish. Same Old Wish would win the event again the following year as a seven-year-old. The event was run as a handicap prior to 2019. The race was not run from 2020 to 2021.

Records

Speed record: * miles: 1:47.90 – Dr. Kashnikow (

CAN Can may refer to: Containers * Aluminum can * Drink can * Oil can * Steel and tin cans * Trash can * Petrol can * Metal can (disambiguation) Music * Can (band), West Germany, 1968 ** ''Can'' (album), 1979 * Can (South Korean band) Other * C ...

) (2001) *1 mile (dirt): 1:36.20 - Taylor's Special (1986) Margins: *7 lengths – Go With the Times (1979) Most wins: * 2 – Same Old Wish (1996, 1997) * 2 – Dr. Kashnikow (

) (2001, 2002) * 2 – Mr. Misunderstood (2018, 2019) Most wins by an owner: * 2 – Friendship Stable (1996, 1997) * 2 – Erdenheim Farm (2001, 2002) * 2 – Flurry Racing Stables (2018, 2019) 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 –

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 an ...

(1982, 1984, 1986, 1991, 1999, 2000) Most wins by a trainer: * 2 – Joseph M. Bollero (1979, 1982) * 2 – William C. Thomas (1980, 1988) * 2 –

William I. Mott William I. "Bill" Mott (born July 29, 1953, in Mobridge, South Dakota) is an American horse trainer, most notable for his work with Cigar. Mott earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 1995 and 1996. He was inducted into the National ...

(1986, 1987) * 2 –

W. Elliott Walden W. Elliott Walden (born February 10, 1963, in Lexington, Kentucky) is the President and CEO of racing operations for WinStar Farm near Versailles, Kentucky and a former Thoroughbred Horse trainer, racehorse trainer. Early life From a racing famil ...

(1994, 2000) * 2 – Robert Barbara (1996, 1997) * 2 – Neil J. Howard (1999, 2005) * 2 – John R. S. Fisher (2001, 2002) * 2 –

Brad H. Cox Brad H. Cox (born March 3, 1980) is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer whose most notable horses include multiple Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl, Knicks Go, Covfefe, Mandaloun, and Essential Quality. He had four winners at the 2020 Breeders' C ...

(2018, 2019)

Winners

''Legend:''

External site

Churchill Downs Media Guide - $175,000 River City (Grade III)

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Turf races in the United States Churchill Downs horse races Recurring sporting events established in 1978 1978 establishments in Kentucky Horse races in Kentucky

History

Records

Winners

See also

External site

References