The Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race

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 run over a distance of one and three-sixteenths miles on the

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held annually in August at

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actua ...

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

. The purse for the event is US$600,000.

History

First years

The inaugural running of the event known as the Saratoga Derby was on 13 August 1904 run as the fourth race on the day's card over a distance of miles on the dirt track. The event was won by

James R. Keene James Robert Keene (February 8, 1838 - January 3, 1913) was a Wall Street stockbroker and a major thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder. Biography He was born in London, England in 1838. He was fourteen years of age when his family immigr ...

's 1904

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

winner

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starting as 2/9 odds-on favorite who led from start to finish in a small three horse field defeating the entry of Stalwart and St. Valentine in a time of 2:13. The second running was won by the Cairngorm who earlier in the spring had won the 1905 Preakness Stakes which was held at

Gravesend Race Track Gravesend Race Track at Gravesend in Brooklyn, New York was a Thoroughbred horse racing facility that opened in 1886 and closed in 1910. The track was built by the Brooklyn Jockey Club with the backing of Philip and Michael Dwyer, two wealthy raci ...

. The event only attracted four runners but the winning margin was a close neck in a time of 2:18 flat. The third and last running in 1906 was won by the favorite Accountant who defeated Gallavant and McKittredge. At that time the event was richer than the

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds according to internation ...

and Accountant was the top stakes earner for the year with $81,925 for owner

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. The entrance into the event, with additional declaration fees needed to be paid when horses were still two-year-olds was a burden which curtailed the number of horses that would start in the event. The event was not held after 1906.

Renewal

In 2019 the

New York Racing Association The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest Thoroughbred horse racing tracks in the state of New York, United States: Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens; Belmont Park ...

with the influx of

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dollars created a new racing series for turf horses called the Turf Trinity. The Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes was positioned as the second leg of the new three race series with the first running on 21 July 2019 over a distance of miles with an impressive purse of US$1 million. In 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...

, NYRA cut the purse to $500,000 meeting. The other events of the Turf Trinity are the

Belmont Derby The Caesars Belmont Derby is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred race horse run over a distance of miles on the turf at Belmont Park in July. The purse for the event is US$1,000,000. The event is the first of three of ...

and the

Jockey Club Derby 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 w ...

at Belmont Park. For 2021 the

Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association {{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. ...

's American Graded Stakes Committee upgraded the classification of the event to the highest status of

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. The 2021 winner, the Irish-bred

State Of Rest State Of Rest (foaled 11 April 2018) is a retired Irish-bred and trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was one of leading three-year-olds of 2021 winning Australia's premier G1 W. S. Cox Plate and Grade I Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes in th ...

confirmed the high classification of the event by later in the year travelling to

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and winning the Group 1

Weight for age {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Weight for Age (WFA) is a term in thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. History The principle of WFA was developed by Admiral Rous, a handicapper with the English Jockey Club. Rous ...

W. S. Cox Plate and the following year winning the Group 1

Prince of Wales's Stakes The Prince of Wales's Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 212 yards (2,004 met ...

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

Records

Speed record: * miles: 1:52.02 A Thread of Blue (2019) Margins: * lengths –

Nations Pride Nations Pride (foaled 28 April 2019) is a multiple graded stakes race winning Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. As a three-year-old in 2022 he was victorious in three different countries, United Arab Emirates, Great Britain and ...

(

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) (2022) Most wins by an owner: * 2 –

Klaravich Stables Seth Andrew Klarman (born May 21, 1957) is an American billionaire investor, hedge fund manager, and author. He is a proponent of value investing. He is the chief executive and portfolio manager of the Baupost Group, a Boston-based private inve ...

(2020, 2023) Most wins by a trainer: * 2 –

Chad C. Brown Chad C. Brown (born December 18, 1978) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer known for his expertise with turf horses and with fillies and mares. He has trained ten Eclipse Award winners including Stacelita, Big Blue Kitten, Lady Eli, ...

(2020, 2023) 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 ...

: * No jockey has won the event more than once

Winners

''Legend:''

References