The San Luis Rey Stakes is an American
Thoroughbred horse race run annually at
Santa Anita Park in
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 ...
. Held during the third week of March, the
Grade III event is open to horses of either gender, age four and up, willing to race one and one-half miles (12
furlongs) on the
turf. The race normally begins on Santa Anita's downhill chute; from this position horses race down the hill and cross the dirt track before running one complete lap of the main turf course.
Prior to 1955, the race was restricted to California-foaled three-year-olds and in 1958 and 1959 to three-year-olds and up. It was contested on dirt at 7 furlongs in 1952, 6 furlongs in 1953, one mile in 1954, and at miles in 1962. The race was transferred to the dirt track in 1975 and in 1989 was started on the backstretch instead of its normal position on the hillside. Two divisions were run in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1970.
In its 66th running in 2013, Bright Thought won with a final time of 2:22.72, a world record time for miles
that stood for only one week; Twilight Eclipse lowered the standard at
Gulfstream Park one week later.
Records
Speed record: (at current distance of miles)
* 2:22.72 –
Bright Thought
Bright may refer to:
Common meanings
*Bright, an adjective meaning giving off or reflecting illumination; see Brightness
*Bright, an adjective meaning someone with intelligence
People
*Bright (surname)
* Bright (given name)
*Bright, the stage nam ...
(2013)
Most wins:
* 2 –
Cedar Key (1965, 1966)
* 2 –
Noble Dancer
Noble Dancer (1972 – June 27, 1994) was a British-born Thoroughbred racehorse who won back-to-back runnings of the Oslo Cup in Norway enroute to earning Horse of the Year honors. In 1976 he was sent to compete in the United States where he wa ...
(1978, 1979)
* 2 –
John Henry (1980, 1981)
* 2 –
Bourbon Bay Bourbon may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash
* Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels
* Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit
* A beer produced by Bra ...
(2010, 2012)
* 2 – Itsinthepost (2017,2018)
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 ...
:
* 7 –
Bill Shoemaker (1956, 1957, 1961, 1966, 1967 (2), 1970)
Most wins by a
trainer:
* 9 –
Charlie Whittingham
Charles Edward Whittingham (April 13, 1913 – April 20, 1999) was an American Thoroughbred race horse trainer who is one of the most acclaimed trainers in U.S. racing history.
Early career
Born in Chula Vista, California, Whittingham began w ...
(1970, 1975, 1977, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989)
Winners
References
{{reflist
External links
The 2009 San Luis Rey Handicap at the NTRA
Horse races in California
Santa Anita Park
Graded stakes races in the United States
Open middle distance horse races
Flat horse races for four-year-olds
Turf races in the United States
Horse races established in 1952