The Washington Park Handicap is an 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 ...

held annually during the first week of September at

Arlington Park Racetrack Arlington International Racecourse (formerly Arlington Park, the name was Arlington Park Jockey Club from as soon as 1948 up to 1955) was a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago regio ...

Arlington Heights, Illinois Arlington Heights is a municipality in Cook County with a small portion in Lake County in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of the city's downtown. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 77,676. Per the ...

. A Grade III event open to horses age three and older, it is contested on Polytrack synthetic dirt over a distance of a mile and one-eighth (9

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). The race is designed to be a prep for the

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October o ...

. Inaugurated at the now defunct

Washington Park Race Track Washington Park Race Track was a popular horse racing venue in the Chicago metropolitan area from 1884 until 1977. It had two locations during its existence. It was first situated in what is the current location of the Washington Park Subdiv ...

, in 1958 it was moved to Arlington Park. In 1978 and 1979 it was contested 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 agricult ...

. In 1935 the race was run as the Washington Park Championship Stakes and from 1980 through 1985 as the Washington Park Stakes. Since inception, the race has been contested at various distances: * 6 furlongs : 1927-1934, 1938; * 1 mile : 1951-1958, 1960–1962, 1965–1972; * miles : 1939, 1959, 1963–1964, 1975–1977, 1980–1987, 1989–1997, 2000; 2013 * miles : 1978-1979 (on turf), 2002–present; * : 1926, 1935–36, 1940–1950, 1973–74, 2001.

Records

Speed record: (at current distance of miles ) * 1:53.53 - Suave (2006) (Dirt) * 1:55.17 - Lewis Michael (2007) (Polytrack) Record at 1 mile on dirt - 1:32.20 Dr. Fager (1968) - Note that this time broke the world's record at the distance on dirt. The record still stands Most wins: * 2 - Misstep (1929, 1930) * 2 -

Armed Armed (May, 1941–1964) was an American Thoroughbred gelding race horse who was the American Horse of the Year in 1947 and Champion Older Male Horse in both 1946 and 1947. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in ...

(1946, 1947) * 2 - That's A Nice (1979, 1980) * 2 - Perfect Drift (2003, 2005) * 2 - Gran Estreno (2009, 2010) 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 -

Bill Shoemaker William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey. For 29 years he held the world record for total professional jockey victories. Early life Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Sho ...

(1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1962, 1980) Most wins by a trainer: * 3 -

Harry Trotsek Harry E. Trotsek (April 18, 1912 – February 5, 1997) was an American Hall of Fame trainer and owner of Thoroughbred racehorses. He trained 96 stakes race winners including Champions Hasty Road, Moccasin, Oil Capitol, and Stan, and led all No ...

(1950, 1974, 1975) Most wins by an owner: * 4 - Calumet Farm (1946, 1947, 1948, 1949)

Winners

* † In 1943 there was a

Dead Heat A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a tie and the competitors are awarded a joint ra ...

for first.{{refend

References

The 2007 Washington Park Handicap at the NTRA

Ten Things You Should Know About the Washington Park Handicap at Hello Race Fans
Graded stakes races in the United States Horse races in Illinois Open middle distance horse races Recurring sporting events established in 1926 Arlington Park Washington Park Race Track 1926 establishments in Illinois