The Sword Dancer Stakes is an American race for

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

horses The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

, aged three and up, run annually in mid 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 ...

. A prep for the

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

, it is set at a distance of one and one-half miles (12

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s) 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 agricult ...

. A

Grade I 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 ...

event, the race currently offers a purse of $1,000,000. The Sword Dancer is named for the best three-year-old colt or gelding of 1959, best three-year-old, best handicap horse, and the American Horse of the Year. Sword Dancer was elected to the United States Racing Hall of Fame in

in 1977. The event was inaugurated at

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

in 1975 as a six furlong sprint on dirt for three-year-old horses. Beginning in 1977, it was hosted by

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

then in 1992 was moved to the Saratoga Race Course. Since inception, the Sword Dancer has been contested at various distances: * 6 furlongs : 1975–1976 (on dirt) * 8.5 furlongs ( miles) : 1977–1979 * 12 furlongs ( miles) : 1980–present (on turf) The race was run as an Invitational Handicap from 1994 to 2014. In 2000, nine-year-old John's Call became the oldest horse to win this race.

Records

Speed record: (at current distance of miles) * 2:23.20 – Awad (1997) Most wins: * 2 –

Majesty's Prince Majesty's Prince (foaled 1979 in Virginia, euthanized in 2009) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Background Bred at John D. Marsh's farm in Gainesville, Virginia, he was out of the mare Pied Princess, a daughter of 1953 American Horse o ...

(1983, 1984) * 2 – El Senor (1989, 1990) * 2 – With Anticipation (2001, 2002) * 2 – Grand Couturier (2007, 2008) * 2 – Telling (2009, 2010) * 2 –

Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms of Flint ...

(2015, 2016) * 2 – Gufo (2021, 2022) Most wins by an owner: * 2 – John DeWitt Marsh (1983, 1984) * 2 –

Augustin Stable George W. Strawbridge Jr. (born October 10, 1937) is an American educator, historian, investor, sportsman and philanthropist. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Margaret ("Peggy") Dorrance and the stockbroker George ...

(2001, 2002) * 2 – Marc Keller (2007, 2008) * 2 – Alex & JoAnn Lieblong (2009, 2010) * 2 –

Juddmonte Farms Juddmonte Farms is a horse breeding farm, owned until his death on 12th January 2021 by Prince Khalid bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.National Thoroughbred Racing Association"Juddmonte Farms, Inc.", profile. Retrieved October 16, 2007. Overview Ju ...

(2015, 2016) * 2 – Otter Bend Stables (2021, 2022) 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 ...

: * 4 –

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 a ...

(1987, 1997, 2001, 2002) Most wins by a trainer: * 4 –

Christophe Clement Christophe Clement (born November 1, 1965 in Paris, France) is a Thoroughbred horse trainer in the United States who won the 2014 Belmont Stakes with Tonalist. Racing background Clement initially acquired his training skills from his father ...

(1999, 2011, 2021, 2022)

Winners of the Sword Dancer Invitational Handicap since 1975

* In 1987, Theatrical was awarded first place following the disqualification of Dance of Life.

References

{{Reflist
The 2008 Sword Dancer Invitational Handicap at the NTRA
Graded stakes races in the United States Horse races in New York (state) Open middle distance horse races Grade 1 turf stakes races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1975 Saratoga Race Course 1975 establishments in New York City