The Vandal Stakes was a Canadian

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 from 1956 through 2016 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 ...

. The race has been on hiatus since the 2016 edition. The sprint race was open to two-year-old horses bred in Ontario. In 2016, the distance was changed to furlongs and the surface was changed to turf. It currently offers a purse of $150,000. The Vandal Stakes was hosted by

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 ...

from 1970 through 1985. In 1961, it was run in two divisions. Since inception in 1956 the race has been run at various distances: * 5 furlongs : 2006 * 5.5 furlongs : 1956-1957, 1959, 1967 * 6 furlongs : 1958, 1960, 1968-1969 1986-2005, 2007–2015 * 6.5 furlongs : 1962-1966, 1970-1985, 2016 * 7 furlongs : 1961 Prior to 2016, the race was held on the main track, which was a Polytrack synthetic dirt surface from 2006 to 2015 and a natural dirt surface before then. As of 2016, the race is held on the turf.

Historical race notes

The great

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred who, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He then became one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. He is considered a Canad ...

finished second in the 1963 running of the Vandal Stakes but went on to win the following years

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

. 1967 winner

Dancer's Image Dancer's Image (April 10, 1965 – December 26, 1992) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the first winner in the history of the Kentucky Derby to be disqualified. Background Dancer's Image was a gray horse owned and bred by busines ...

also went on to win the Derby.

Records

Speed record: (At current distance of six furlongs) * 1:09.64 - Ghost Fleet (2009) 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 ...

: * 9 - David Clark (1982, 1987, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008) Most wins by a trainer: * 4 -

Gil Rowntree Gil H. Rowntree (born January 17, 1934, in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadians, Canadian Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer, racehorse trainer and owner. One of the most successful trainers in Canadian Thorou ...

(1969, 1975, 1978, 1990) Most wins by an owner: * 3 - Stafford Farms (1969, 1975, 1978)

Winners

References

{{reflist
The Vandal Stakes at Pedigree Query

The 2009 Vandal Stakes at Woodbine Entertainment
Discontinued horse races Restricted stakes races in Canada Flat horse races for two-year-olds Recurring sporting events established in 1956 Woodbine Racetrack Sport in Toronto