The Wilshire 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

mare 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 ...

s age three and older. The race runs over a distance of one mile (8

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

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 ...

track and is scheduled annually in May at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of th ...

History

The event was inaugurated on 30 June 1953 as the Wilshire Mile a one-mile race on dirt for three-year-old fillies that was won by the British bred filly Ria Rica in an upset victory in the time of 1:37 before a Tuesday crowd of 23,158. It was not run again until 1963, when it was revived as an event called the Wilshire Handicap that included older fillies and mares over 7 furlongs. The first running of the event on turf was in 1970 as the Wilshire Stakes. In 1973 the event was run in two divisions. Beginning with the 2014 running, it was moved to Santa Anita Park due to Hollywood Park's closure and renamed to Wilshire Stakes. The event has had several distance changes with the current distance set at one mile in 1998. The event was classified as a Grade III in 1975 and upgraded to Grade II in 1983. It was downgraded in 1998 to Grade III. The 1968 and 1969

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 ...

Gamely Gamely (February 10, 1964 – 1975) was an American Thoroughbred race horse who was voted the champion filly of her age group on three occasions. Background Gamely was bred and born at Claiborne Farm outside Paris, Kentucky. Her dam was the st ...

is the only horse to win this event twice. In 1989 United States Racing Hall of Fame trainer

Charles E. Whittingham Charles Edward Whittingham (April 13, 1913 – April 20, 1999) was an American Thoroughbred race horse trainer who is one of the most acclaimed trainers in U.S. racing history. Early career Born in Chula Vista, California, Whittingham began w ...

trained all the three placegetters in the event – winner Claire Marine (

IRE Ire or IRE may refer to: Ire * Extreme anger; intense fury * Irē, the Livonian name for Mazirbe, Latvia * A town in Oye, Nigeria * ''Ire'' (album), a 2015 album by the Australian metalcore band Parkway Drive * Ire (Iliad), a town mentioned in ...

), Fitzwilliam Place finished second and 1987 winner Galunpe third.

Records

Speed record: * 1 mile: 1:33.03 – Enola Gray (2017) * miles: 1:39.00 – Claire Marine (

) (1989) Margins: * lengths – Mademoiselle Forli (1983) Most wins: * 2 –

(1968, 1969) Most wins by an owner: * 3 –

William Haggin Perry William Haggin Perry (December 5, 1910 - November 12, 1993) was an American owner and breeder of thoroughbred racehorses. Early life Perry was the son of Henry Pierrepont Perry, a Wall Street stockbroker, and Edith Lounsbery, who was the daughter ...

(1967, 1968, 1969) 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 ...

: * 6 –

Chris McCarron Christopher John McCarron (born March 27, 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He mounted his first horse ever at 16.5 years old and was racing professionally by 18. At only 19 years o ...

(1978, 1985, 1989, 1997, 2000, 2002) Most wins by a trainer: * 3 – Neil D. Drysdale (1999, 2019, 2020) * 3 – Ben D. A. Cecil (2000, 2010, 2012) * 3 – Robert J. Frankel (1987, 1994, 1995) * 3 –

Richard E. Mandella Richard Eugene Mandella (born November 5, 1950 in Altadena, California), is a Thoroughbred horse trainer and a member of the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame. Mandella's father, a blacksmith, introduced him to horses at an early age and while still in ...

(1977, 1990, 2004) * 3 –

(1974, 1983, 1989) * 3 – Farrell W. Jones (1963, 1964, 1972) * 3 – James W. Maloney (1967, 1968, 1969)

Winners

''Notes:''
§ Ran as part of an entry

References

{{reflist, 2 Horse races in California Mile category horse races for fillies and mares Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1953 Santa Anita Park 1953 establishments in California Turf races in the United States

History

Records

Winners

See also

References