The Waya Stakes is a Grade III American

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 ...

for

fillies A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

and

mares A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four y ...

, three years old and older run over a distance of miles 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 agricultu ...

held annually in October at

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 ...

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the ...

. The event offers a purse of $200,000.

History

The race was inaugurated on 24 August 1992 and was run over the distance miles on the Inner Turf track 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 ...

. The event is named in honor of the French-bred multiple graded stakes-winning mare

Waya {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Waya , image_name = Racing silks of George Strawbridge.png , caption = Racing silks of George Strawbridge , sire = Faraway Son , grandsire = Ambiopoise , dam =War Path , damsire = Blue Prince , sex = Fill ...

who received the 1979

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...

as the

American Champion Older Female Horse The Eclipse Award for Champion Older Dirt Female Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a filly or mare, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of the ...

. Waya won the 1978 rendition of the

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 ...

Diana Handicap The Diana Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. Named for the mythological goddess Diana, the race is run each year at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Inaugurated in 1939, it is open to fillies and mares age three and ...

at Saratoga. In 1996 and 1997 the event was moved to the main turf track and run at a longer distance of miles. The event was idle for 5 years from 1998 to 2002 and when it resumed in 2003 it had lost its Listed classification. The renewal was also taken off the Inner Turf track and run on the sloppy dirt track. The event was not held in 2008 and run on the dirt in 2004, 2007, and 2018. In 2015 the event was upgraded to Grade III but since the event was taken off the turf in 2018 it only was a Listed type event. In 2021 the event was moved to Belmont Park and the distance was shortened to miles. In 2022 the event was moved to

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 ...

due to infield tunnel and redevelopment work at

Records

Speed record: * miles Inner Turf – 2:25.96 – Guapaza (

CHI Chi or CHI may refer to: Greek *Chi (letter), the Greek letter (uppercase Χ, lowercase χ); Chinese *Chi (length), ''Chi'' (length) (尺), a traditional unit of length, about ⅓ meter *Chi (mythology) (螭), a dragon *Chi (surname) (池, pin ...

) (2016) * miles Main Turf – 2:40.19 – Ampulla (1996) * miles Inner Turf – 2:13.35 – Fairy Garden (1992) Margins: * 12 lengths – Born Twice (1997) ;Most wins * 2 – Saratoga Source (1993, 1994) * 2 – My Sister Nat (FR) (2020, 2021) ;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 ...

* 3 –

Javier Castellano Javier Castellano (born October 23, 1977, in Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Castellano began his riding career in 1996 at Santa Rita and La Rinconada racecourses in Venezuela. In June 1997 he ...

(2016, 2017, 2019) ;Most wins by a trainer * 6 –

Chad C. Brown Chad C. Brown (born December 18, 1978) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer known for his expertise with turf horses and with fillies and mares. He has trained ten Eclipse Award winners including Stacelita, Big Blue Kitten, Lady Eli, ...

(2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022) ;Most wins by an owner * 5 –

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 ...

(1993, 1994, 2004, 2005, 2011)

Winners

''Legend:''

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 3 stakes races in the United States 1992 establishments in New York (state) Horse races in New York (state) Turf races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1992 Saratoga Race Course Long-distance horse races for fillies and mares

History

Records

Winners

See also

References