The Summer Stakes is a

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 ...

run annually in mid-September at

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. Contested on

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 ...

over a distance of 1 mile (8 furlongs), it is open to two-year-old horses. It became a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in 1999 but in 2006 was downgraded to a Grade III status. In 2012, it returned to Grade II status. In 2018, the Jockey Club of Canada moved it to Grade I status. Part of the

Breeders' Cup Challenge The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of Thoroughbred horse races in which the winner earns an automatic spot in a specified Breeders' Cup race. The challenge races change somewhat each year. The Challenge series began in 2007 with 24 "Win and Yo ...

series, the winner of the Summer Stakes automatically qualifies for the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf is an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old horses, run on a grass course at a distance of one mile. It is part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the ''de facto'' year-end championship for North ...

. Inaugurated in 1953 at

Fort Erie Racetrack Fort Erie Race Track is a horse racing facility in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, that opened on June 16, 1897. The racetrack is often referred to as "the border oval" because of the track's proximity (barely a mile as the crow flies) to the U.S. bo ...

as a sprint race on dirt, the Summer Stakes was moved to the

in 1962. Since inception it has been run at various distances: * 5 furlongs : 1953–1956 on dirt at Fort Erie Racetrack * 5.5 furlongs : 1957–1960, 1961 on dirt at Fort Erie Racetrack * 8 furlongs (1 mile) : 1962–1984 on turf at Fort Erie Racetrack, since 1985 on turf at Woodbine Racetrack The race was run in two divisions in 1958, 1967, and 1969.

Records

Speed record: * 1:34.38 –

Good Samaritan In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, ph ...

(2016) Most wins by an owner: * 8 –

Sam-Son Farm Sam-Son Farm is a Thoroughbred horse racing stable with farms located in Milton, Ontario, Canada and Ocala, Florida. Originating in the 60's by Ernie Samuel, it began as a home for competition hunter/jumper horses. One Sam-Son horse, Canadian C ...

(1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993) 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 –

Robin Platts Robin Platts (born c. 1949 in Leicester, England) is a Canadian thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He began his jockey career at age 16 and went on to become the winner of the 1979 Sovereign Award for Outstanding Jockey, a record f ...

(1975, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988) Most wins by a trainer: * 8 – James E. Day (1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993)

Winners

* In 1992, Desert Waves finished first but was disqualified and set back to sixth.

References

{{Reflist
The Summer Stakes at Pedigree Query
Grade 1 stakes races in Canada Turf races in Canada Flat horse races for two-year-olds Breeders' Cup Challenge series Recurring sporting events established in 1953 Woodbine Racetrack 1953 establishments in Ontario

Records

Winners

See also

References