The Very One Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at

Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Ol ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. Open to fillies and mares three years old and up, it is contested over a distance of five furlongs on turf. The Very One Stakes is run on the third Friday of May each year on the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes under card. The race is run on the "Filly Friday" of Preakness Stakes weekend. The race was not run between 1994 and 2000. The first year the race was run in 1993, it was contested at miles on the main track at "Old Hilltop" on a dirt surface; since that time it has been run at a distance of five furlongs and on the turf. The Very One Stakes attracts female turf sprinters. It was named in honor of

The Very One The Very One (1975–1992) was a millionaire American Thoroughbred racehorse mare. Owned by Helen Polinger and bred by Myrna Firestone and Peter Odell in Kentucky, she is a daughter of One For All, who in turn was sired by Hall of Famer and promi ...

, one of the best race mares in training during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Purchased out of the 1977 two-year-old in training sale at Timonium for $22,000, she became a millionaire, racing in 71 times with a record of 22 wins, 12 second-place finishes and 18 third-place finishes and earnings of $1,030,120. Her most famous wins came in the grade one

Santa Barbara Handicap The Santa Barbara Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A Graded stakes race, Grade III event open to Filly, fillies and Mare (horse), mares, age four and older, it is co ...

in California and the grade two

Dixie Stakes The Dinner Party Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid-May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the eighth-oldest graded stakes race in the United States and the oldest stakes race in Maryland and all o ...

, over the best turf males in the country in 1979.2007 Maryland Jockey Club Media Guide, page 173 on March 3, 2007. The Very One Stakes is the lead off leg of the Mid Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships Fillies and Mares Sprint Turf Division or MATCh Races. MATCh is a series of five races in five separate thoroughbred divisions run throughout four Mid-Atlantic States including;

and Laurel Park Racecourse in Maryland; Delaware Park Racetrack in Delaware;

Parx Parx Casino and Racing (formerly Philadelphia Park Racetrack and Casino) is a thoroughbred horse racing venue and the largest casino gaming complex in Pennsylvania. Parx is located in Bensalem Township in Bucks County, northeast of the city of P ...

Philadelphia Park Parx Casino and Racing (formerly Philadelphia Park Racetrack and Casino) is a thoroughbred horse racing venue and the largest casino gaming complex in Pennsylvania. Parx is located in Bensalem Township in Bucks County, northeast of the city of P ...

and

Presque Isle Downs Presque Isle Downs & Casino is a casino and horse racing track near Erie, Pennsylvania, owned and operated by Churchill Downs Inc. History The developer, MTR Gaming Group, broke ground in October 2005 for the new facility, which opened on February ...

in Pennsylvania and Monmouth Park in New Jersey.

Records

Speed record: * 5 furlongs - 55.60 - Unbridled Sidney (2007) 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 ...

: * 2 - Ramon Dominguez (2001 & 2002) * 2 -

Edgar Prado Edgar S. Prado (Lima, June 12, 1967) is a Peruvian-born American jockey, a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. His big break came in 1997 when he won 536 races, making him the fourth rider in history to win 500 races in ...

(1993 & 2005) * 2 - Javier Castellano (2006, 2017) Most wins by a trainer: * 3 - Kathleen DeMasi (2002, 2004, 2017) Most wins by an owner: * 2 -

Darley Stables Darley Racing is a thoroughbred horse racing operations controlled by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. It was launched in 1981. Horses owned include Singspiel ...

(2003 & 2009)

Winners of The Very One Stakes since 1993

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Very One Stakes Turf races in the United States 1993 establishments in Maryland Ungraded stakes races in the United States Sports competitions in Baltimore Pimlico Race Course Horse races in Maryland Recurring sporting events established in 1993

Records

Winners of The Very One Stakes since 1993

See also

References