The San Juan Capistrano 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 run 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 ...

track held at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of th ...

in June. The event currently offers a purse of $100,000. It is one of the longest Graded grass race in America.

History

The event was inaugurated on 9 March 1935, when

Head Play Head Play (April 2, 1930 – December 11, 1954) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1933 Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series of races and as the horse on the losing end of the "Fighting F ...

defeated Top Row and Ladysman on a muddy track by 2 lengths in a time of 1:51 before a crowd of 45,000 on the closing day of Santa Anita meeting. In 1937 an even greater crowd came to witness

Seabiscuit Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933 – May 17, 1947) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse in the United States who became the top money-winning racehorse up to the 1940s. He beat the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, by four lengths in a two-horse ...

set a new track record for the miles winning by 7 lengths. The event in 1940 only it was limited to three-year-olds and for three-year-olds and older in all other years prior to 1968. From its inception through 1953, the race was contested on dirt, then in 1954 it was converted to a

event. The San Juan Capistrano is run around four turns, and begins at the top of Santa Anita's downhill chute, normally used for -furlong sprint races. From the start point, horses begin their descent down the hill. Within the first two furlongs of the race, horses turn right – one of only two locations in North American horse racing that a right turn is used (the other is at

Kentucky Downs Kentucky Downs is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on the border between Kentucky and Tennessee, in the city of Franklin, Kentucky, just off Interstate 65. It is unique among American tracks in that it is a European-style course—its su ...

). After a brief straight run, there is a gentle turn to the left until the horses cross the dirt course and enter the main turf oval. Horses then run one full lap of the turf course to complete the distance. In 2016 the Santa Anita's downhill chute was under repair, and the race was run on the flat turf oval, at miles. In 1964, the San Juan Capistrano Handicap was run in two divisions. In 1965 the became an invitational event and was named the San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap. With the increasing emphasis on speed horses bred to compete in the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

and

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 ...

distance of miles on dirt, during the last two decades longer races run on grass or dirt in North America have been in decline. Once a Grade I event, the about miles San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap now holds a Grade III classification. Since 2007, the winner of the San Juan Capistrano has received ballot-free entry into Australia's greatest horse race and the staying championship of the world, the

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...

. Since 2008, no San Juan Capistrano winner has made the trip to Flemington for the Melbourne Cup. The event was downgraded to a Grade II in 2004 and to a Grade III race in 2015. The event for many runnings was held on the closing day of the Santa Anita spring meeting, which was in April. However, with the takeover of events from the close of

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to the ...

in 2013, the event has been held in June, with three-year-olds allowed to enter. At age eight, Niarkos (1968) and Mashkour (1991) are the oldest horses to win the event. Two mares have won the event, La Zanzara (1975) and the Champion Argentine mare Miss Grillo (1949). The event had showcased many a champion and notable runnings. In 1950 the Irish-bred champion Noor defeated the 1948

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

champion

Citation A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose of ...

by a neck before a crowd of about 60,000. The March 12, 1966, edition of the San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap was seen by 60,792 fans, the largest crowd of the season, who turned out to say farewell to retiring U.S. Racing Hall of Fame

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 ...

Johnny Longden John Eric "Johnny" Longden (February 14, 1907 – February 14, 2003) was an American Hall of Fame and National Champion jockey and a trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses who was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England. His father emigrated to Can ...

. Without ever using the

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

as he always did, Longden guided Canadian bred

George Royal George Royal (1961–1981) was a Canadian Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. Background George Royal was a bay horse foaled in Cloverdale, British Columbia. He was sired by Dark Hawk out of the mare Polly Bashaw. His great-grandsire was H ...

from fifteen lengths back in last place to a photo-finish win.

Records

Speed record: * 2:42.96 – Bienamado (2001) Margins: * 7 lengths – Fly Till Dawn (1992) * 7 lengths – Lehmi Gold (1982) * 7 lengths –

(1937) Most wins: * 2 –

Mioland Mioland (1937–1951) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred in Oregon by H. W. Ray, he was out of the mare Iolanda. His German-born sire was Mio D'Arezzo, a winner of the Deutsches St. Leger who had been imported to stand at ...

(1940, 1941) * 2 – Intent (1952, 1953) * 2 –

(1965, 1966) * 2 – Niarkos (1967, 1968) * 2 – T. H. Approval (2005, 2006) * 2 – Bourbon Bay (2010, 2012) Most wins by a

: * 5 –

(1950, 1951, 1955, 1965, 1966) * 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 Sh ...

(1961, 1962, 1970, 1971, 1978) Most wins by a trainer: * 14 –

Charles Whittingham Charles Whittingham (16 June 1767 – 5 January 1840) was an English printer. Biography He was born at Caludon or Calledon, Warwickshire, the son of a farmer, and was apprenticed to a Coventry printer and bookseller. In 1789 he set up a small ...

(1957, 1959, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989) Most wins by an owner: * 4 –

Charles S. Howard Charles Stewart Howard (February 28, 1877 – June 6, 1950) was an American businessman. He made his fortune as an automobile dealer and became a prominent thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse owner. Biography Howard was dubbed one of the most s ...

(1937, 1940, 1941, 1950)

Winners

''Notes:''
§ Ran as part of an entry
‡ Run 259 feet short of miles 1997–2001

External links

The 2008 San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap at the NTRA

References

{{reflist, 2 Horse races in California Santa Anita Park Graded stakes races in the United States Open long distance horse races Turf races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1935 Grade 3 stakes races in the United States 1935 establishments in California

History

Records

Winners

See also

Other North American Marathon races

External links

References