The Vigil 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 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. It is a Grade III sprint race open to horses aged three and older with a purse of

Can$ The Canadian dollar (symbol: $; code: CAD; french: dollar canadien) is the currency of Canada. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, there is no standard disambiguating form, but the abbreviation Can$ is often suggested by notable style g ...

150,000. It is currently run in late July over a distance of 6 furlongs on Woodbine's Tapeta (synthetic dirt) surface. Inaugurated as the Vigil Handicap, it was first run in 1956 at

Fort Erie Race Track 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. ...

where it remained until 1980. Since inception it has been contested at various distances: * 5.5 furlongs :1956-1958 * 6 furlongs: 1959 * 6.5 furlongs: 1960 * miles (8.5 furlongs): 1961-1979 * 7 furlongs: 1980–2017 *6 furlongs: 2018 - present

Records

Speed record: * 1:08.06 - Pink Lloyd (2020) (at current distance of 6 furlongs) * 1:20.07 - Hollywood Hit (2009) (at distance of 7 furlongs) Most wins: * 4 -

Pink Lloyd Pink Lloyd (foaled February 23, 2012) is a retired Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse who won eight Sovereign Awards during his career, including the award for Canadian Horse of the Year in 2017. He was undefeated in eight starts that year, with hi ...

(2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) Most wins by an owner: * 4 -

Gardiner Farm George Ryerson Gardiner, (April 25, 1917 – December 7, 1997) was a Toronto businessman, philanthropist and co-founder of the Gardiner Museum, the only museum in Canada devoted exclusively to ceramic art. Early years Gardiner was born in Tor ...

(1969, 1970, 1973, 1974) * 4 - Entourage Stable (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) 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 ...

: * 5 -

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 ...

(1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1987) Most wins by a trainer: * 6 -

Lou Cavalaris, Jr. Louis C. "Lou" Cavalaris Jr. (January 30, 1924 - May 2, 2013) was an Americans, American-born horse trainer, trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses who was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and who for ten years was a highly respec ...

(1964, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1974)

Winners

* † In 1979, Coverack finished first but was disqualified and set back to third.

References

{{reflist
The Vigil Stakes at Pedigree Query

The 2009 Vigil Stakes at ''Thoroughbred Times''
Graded stakes races in Canada Recurring sporting events established in 1956 Woodbine Racetrack Sport in Toronto

Records

Winners

See also

References