The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes is a

Grade I 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 ...

American

Weight for Age {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Weight for Age (WFA) is a term in thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. History The principle of WFA was developed by Admiral Rous, a handicapper with the English Jockey Club. Rou ...

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 three years old and older 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 agricult ...

track scheduled annually in late September or early October at Belmont Park in

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 2 ...

. The event currently offers a purse of $500,000.

History

The inaugural running of the event was on 19 November 1977 as the Aqueduct Turf Classic Stakes and was won by Johnny D., ridden by 17-year-old

Steve Cauthen Steve Cauthen (born May 1, 1960) is a retired American jockey. In 1977 he became the first jockey to win over $6 million in a year working with agent Lenny Goodman, and in 1978 he became the youngest jockey to win the U. S. ...

by lengths in a time of 2:33. The event was scheduled two weeks after the Washington D.C. International, an event that Johnny D. won as well earning him US Champion Male Turf Horse honors for 1977. The following year the event was held at Belmont Park. In 1979 the event was classified Grade I and was returned to Aqueduct and was held there until 1983. In 1983 the name of the event was shortened to being called just the Turf Classic. The event drew the top Thoroughbreds from the U.S. and Europe when it was part of a million dollar bonus for any horse who won it plus the

Canadian International Stakes The Canadian International Stakes is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and up on Turf. It is held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The current purse is Since its creatio ...

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 tra ...

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 anch ...

and the Washington D.C. International at

Laurel Park Racecourse Laurel Park, formerly Laurel Race Course, is an American thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred racetrack located just outside Laurel, Maryland which opened in 1911. The track is miles in circumference. Its name was changed to "Laurel Race Course" fo ...

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River. While the city limits are entirely in northern Prince George's County, outlying developments extend into Anne Arunde ...

. That year the champion French bred filly

All Along All Along (7 April 1979 – 23 February 2005) was a champion Thoroughbred racemare that was foaled in France. She was one of the top fillies of the last part of the 20th century, racing mostly in Europe. All Along was named into the Nationa ...

was able to win the treble, winning the million dollar bonus and being crowned US Champion Female Turf Horse and US Horse of the Year. Other notable champions to win the event in the pre-

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

era include the French bred mare, winner in 1978,

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 = Fil ...

, who was crowned the US Champion Older Female Horse the following year. The Irish bred filly April Run won the event twice in 1981 and 1982. In 1982 she also won the Washington D.C. International and was voted as US Champion Female Turf Horse. John Henry remarkably won this event in 1984 as a nine year old and what would be his second last start. He was crowned the US Horse of the Year that year. Early in the

era the event immediately become one of the major preparatory races for the Breeders' Cup Turf. The 1986 winner the three-year-old

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

and 1987 winner the Irish bred

Theatrical Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

, both won the Breeders' Cup Turf and were voted US Champion Male Turf Horse. In 1994 Tikkanen also won the Turf Classic- Breeders' Cup Turf double enroute to US Champion Male Turf Horse. In 2004 the event was renamed is named in honor of

Joe Hirsch Joe Hirsch (February 27, 1928 – January 9, 2009) was an American horse racing columnist and the founding president of the National Turf Writers Association. Biography He earned a degree in journalism from New York University, then served w ...

, the award-winning racing columnist and founding president of the

National Turf Writers Association The National Turf Writers Association (NTWA) is an American association of journalists, columnists and other writers involved with reporting on the horse racing industry. The organization was founded by prominent sports writer Joe Hirsch who served ...

. Joe Hirsch, aged 80, died on January 9, 2009. Dual winner

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

was a Breeders' Cup Turf winner in 2007 and also the sire of Channel Maker, a dual winner (2018, 2020) and second placed finisher in 2019 of this event. In 2022 the event was moved to Aqueduct Racetrack due to infield tunnel and redevelopment work at Belmont Park. The 2022 winner was

's daughter

War Like Goddess War Like Goddess (foaled April 14, 2017) is an American multiple Graded Stakes winning Thoroughbred racehorse. Her graded wins include the Grade I Flower Bowl Stakes in 2021 the Grade II Glens Falls Stakes twice (2021 and 2022) at Saratoga R ...

, with his offspring successful in the event for the third time.

Records

Time record: * 2:23.39 –

Big Blue Kitten Big Blue Kitten (foaled May 1, 2008) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who specialises in turf races. Unraced as a juvenile, he finished third on his debut in 2011 and then went on a five race winning streak, culminating in a victory in the ...

(2015) Margins: * lengths – Grand Couturier (GB) (2008) Most wins: * 2 – April Run (IRE) (1981, 1982) * 2 – Val's Prince (1997, 1999) * 2 –

(2006, 2007) * 2 – Channel Maker (2018, 2020) Most wins by an owner: * 4 – Bertram & Diana M. Firestone (1981, 1982, 1987, 2010) Most wins by a jockey: * 5 – John R. Velazquez (1995, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2012) Most wins by a trainer: * 5 –

William I. Mott William I. "Bill" Mott (born July 29, 1953, in Mobridge, South Dakota) is an American horse trainer, most notable for his work with Cigar. Mott earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 1995 and 1996. He was inducted into the Nationa ...

(1987, 2005, 2018, 2020, 2022)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry
ƒ Filly or Mare

References

{{reflist, 2 Open middle distance horse races Grade 1 turf stakes races in the United States Grade 1 stakes races in the United States Horse races in New York (state) Graded stakes races in the United States Belmont Park Recurring sporting events established in 1977 1977 establishments in New York (state)

History

Records

Winners

See also

References