The Charles Whittingham Stakes is a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

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 horses age three years old and older over a distance of miles on the

turf Sod is the upper layer of turf that is harvested for transplanting. Turf consists of a variable thickness of a soil medium that supports a community of turfgrasses. In British and Australian English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', ...

held annually in late 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 race ...

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 t ...

USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

. The event currently carries a purse of $225,000.

History

The event was inaugurated in 1969 as the Hollywood Invitational Handicap over a distance of miles on the turf. The event was run at a distance of a miles from 1969 to 1987 and recently 2015. From 1989 until 1998, the race was named the Hollywood Turf Handicap. In 1999 the event was renamed to Charles Whittingham Handicap and in 2003 to Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap in honor of the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer Charlie Whittingham ''(1913–1999)'' who saddled many memorable winners at Hollywood Park and whose seven victories in the Hollywood Invitational Turf Handicap race was the most for any trainer. It had been equaled since. In 2014 when

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred horse racing, race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to The Forum (Inglewood, California), the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, t ...

closed the race was moved to

and renamed to it current name. Originally a

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

event, the event was downgraded in 2013 to Grade II.

Records

Time record: (at current distance of miles) * 1:57.75 -

Bien Bien Bien Bien (1989–2002) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse bred by William S. Farish III & William S. Kilroy and raced by Trudy McCaffery and John Toffan. He won eight stakes races during his career, including four Grade I events. He set a ...

(1993) Most wins: * 3 -

Acclamation An acclamation is a form of election that does not use a ballot. It derives from the ancient Roman word ''acclamatio'', a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval towards imperial officials in certain social contexts. Voting Voice vot ...

(2010, 2011, 2012) * 3 -

John Henry John Henry most commonly refers to: *John Henry (folklore) John Henry may also refer to: People Artists and entertainers * John Henry (actor) (1738–1794), Irish and early American actor *Seán Ó hEinirí (1915–1998), known in English as John ...

(1980, 1981, 1984) Most wins by an owner: * 3 - Dotsam Stable (1980, 1981, 1984) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), 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 ...

: * 6 - Gary Stevens (1991, 1992, 1994, 2003, 2015, 2017) Most wins by a trainer: * 7 -

Charles Whittingham Charles Whittingham (16 June 1767 – 5 January 1840) was an English printer. Biography He was born at Caludon or Calledon, Warwickshire, the son of a farmer, and was apprenticed to a Coventry printer and bookseller. In 1789 he set up a smal ...

(1970, 1971, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1987) * 7 -

Neil Drysdale Neil D. Drysdale (born 11 December 1947, Haslemere, Surrey, England) is an American-based thoroughbred race horse trainer. Based in Playa Del Rey, California, he has won two Triple Crown races – the Belmont Stakes (G1) with A.P. Indy in 1 ...

(1985, 1988, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2014) * 7 - Robert J. Frankel (1973, 1979, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2002, 2009)

Winners

''Notes:''
¶ Mare

References

{{reflist
The 2008 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap at the NTRA
Graded stakes races in the United States Open middle distance horse races Horse races in California Turf races in the United States Horse races established in 1969 Santa Anita Park 1969 establishments in California