The Withers Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three years old horses over the distance of miles on the dirt scheduled annually in February at

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 ...

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. The event currently carries a purse of $250,000.

History

The Withers was named for David Dunham Withers (1821–1892), an important owner/breeder who won this race in 1890 with his colt, King Eric. The inaugural run of the Withers Stakes occurred in 1874 at Jerome Park Racetrack. It was raced there through 1889 after which it was hosted by the Morris Park Racecourse from 1890 through 1904, then

Jamaica Race Course Jamaica Race Course, also called the Jamaica Racetrack, was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. History The track opened on April 27, 1903, a day which featu ...

in 1956, and 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 ...

from 1957 through 1959 and 1984 through 1996. The Withers was not run in 1911 and 1912 due to a

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

legislated ban on all forms of wagering on horses. It was also not run in 2011, but returned to the New York racing calendar on February 4, 2012. The Withers was historically run at a distance of one mile but was lengthened to miles in 2012. In 1956, it was also contested at a mile and a sixteenth. The "Withers Mile", as it was known to racetrackers, was once one of America's great races, on par with events like England's St James's Palace Stakes and France's

Prix Jacques Le Marois The Prix Jacques Le Marois is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred colts and fillies aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile ...

. Winners included outstanding sires like Dr. Fager, Jaipur, Hagley, Bold Reasoning, Hill Prince, Polynesian, Menow, and Blue Larkspur. In 1919,

Sir Barton Sir Barton (April 26, 1916 – October 30, 1937) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the first winner of the American Triple Crown. Background Sir Barton was a chestnut colt bred in 1916, in Kentucky, by John E. Madden at H ...

won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, then won the Withers before winning the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

to complete the Triple Crown. Count Fleet repeated this feat in 1943. Other famous winners of the race include Man o' War and

Native Dancer Native Dancer (March 27, 1950 – November 16, 1967), nicknamed the ''Gray Ghost'', was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in American history and was the first horse made famous through the medium of television. ...

. Prior to 2012, it was run in May at Belmont Park. The Withers is a prep race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. In 2018 the distance of the event was increased to miles.

Records

Speed record: * miles – 1:50.27 Tax (2019) * miles – 1:43.93 Far From Over (2015) * 1 mile – 1:32.40 Williamstown (1993) 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 –

Eddie Arcaro George Edward Arcaro (February 19, 1916 – November 14, 1997), was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Tripl ...

(1940, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1955) Most wins by a trainer: * 5 –

James G. Rowe Sr. James Gordon Rowe Sr. (1857 – August 2, 1929) was an American jockey and horse trainer elected to the Hall of Fame for Thoroughbred Horse racing. He won the Belmont Stakes twice as a jockey and 8 times as a trainer. He had 34 champion hors ...

(1883, 1884, 1904, 1908, 1909) Most wins by an owner: * 5 –

James R. Keene James Robert Keene (February 8, 1838 - January 3, 1913) was a Wall Street stockbroker and a major thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder. Biography He was born in London, England in 1838. He was fourteen years of age when his family immigr ...

(1879, 1892, 1904, 1908, 1909)

Winners

* † In 1969, Gleaming Light finished first, but was disqualified and set back to fifth.

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

May 22, 1910 ''New York Times'' article on the 1910 Withers Stakes at Belmont Park
1874 establishments in New York (state) Horse races in New York (state) Aqueduct Racetrack Jamaica Race Course Flat horse races for three-year-olds Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1874

History

Records

Winners

See also

References

External links