The Grey Stakes is a Canadian

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 October at

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 track ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. A Grade III, it is open to two-year-old horses and is raced on dirt at a distance of miles. Since 2006, the dirt racing surface at Woodbine Racetrack has been the synthetic

Polytrack The track surface of a horse racing track refers to the material of which the track is made. There are three types of track surfaces used in modern horse racing. These are: *Turf, the most common track surface in Europe *Dirt, the most common trac ...

. Inaugurated as the Grey Stakes at the

Old Woodbine Racetrack Greenwood Raceway (originally Woodbine Race Course) was a horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distanc ...

in 1906, it was named in honor of the then

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

Earl Grey Earl Grey is a title in the peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1806 for General Charles Grey, 1st Baron Grey. In 1801, he was given the title Baron Grey of Howick in the County of Northumberland, and in 1806 he was created Viscoun ...

. Over the years it has been run at various distances: * 1 mile : 1906-1929 (Old Woodbine Racetrack) * 1 mile 70 yards : 1930-1955 (Old Woodbine Racetrack) * miles : 1956 to present at

J. K. L. Ross Commander John Kenneth Leveson "Jack" Ross, Order of the British Empire, CBE (31 March 1876 – 25 July 1951) was a Canadian businessman, sportsman, thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse owner/breeder, and philanthropist. He is best remembered ...

, owner of the first United States Triple Crown Champion,

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 this race five years in a row with future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer, Henry McDaniel. In 1926 Henry McDaniel added another win, making him the leader among all winning trainers. Notable horses who have won the race includes future

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness racing, harness and Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine ...

inductees

Horometer {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Horometer , image = , caption = , sire = Hourless , grandsire = Negofol , dam = Star Pal , damsire = North Star , sex = Gelding , foaled = 1931 , country = Canada , colour = Dark Bay/Brown , bre ...

(1933), Kennedy Road (1970),

Sunny's Halo Sunny's Halo (February 11, 1980 – June 3, 2003) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1983 Kentucky Derby. In 1986, Sunny's Halo was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Background Foaled at Oshawa, Ontario, Sunny's Halo wa ...

(1982), and Sky Classic (1989).

Dancer's Image Dancer's Image (April 10, 1965 – December 26, 1992) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the first winner in the history of the Kentucky Derby to be disqualified. Background Dancer's Image was a gray horse owned and bred by busines ...

won the 1967 race and went on to capture the following year's

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

, as did

Mine That Bird Mine That Bird (foaled May 10, 2006) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2009 Kentucky Derby at 50-1 odds and came second in the Preakness Stakes and third in the Belmont Stakes. He had earnings of $2,228,637 and was inducte ...

in 2009. Since the creation of the

Breeder's 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, i ...

races in 1984,

Macho Uno Macho Uno (foaled April 24, 1998 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse. He was sired by the 1994 American Horse of the Year and National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Holy Bull. T ...

is the only horse to have won the Grey Stakes then gone on to win that year's

Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup W ...

. Famous horses who did not win the Grey Stakes include

Display Display may refer to: Technology * Display device, output device for presenting information, including: ** Electronic visual display, output device to present information for visual or tactile reception *** Cathode-ray tube (CRT), that uses an el ...

who ran second in 1925 but was the ensuing year's

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

winner. As well, the 1997

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

winner

Touch Gold Touch Gold (foaled May 26, 1994 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known as the winner of the Classic Belmont Stakes, in which he ended Silver Charm's bid for the U.S. Triple Crown. Upon the death of 1996 Belmont Stakes win ...

finished third in the 1996 running of the Grey Stakes.

Records

Time record: (at current miles distance) * 1:43.20 -

Black Cash Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''Psyc ...

(1997) Most wins by an owner: * 5 -

(1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925) * 5 -

Sam-Son Farm Sam-Son Farm is a Thoroughbred horse racing stable with farms located in Milton, Ontario (Canada) and Ocala, Florida (U.S.). Established in the 1960s by Ernest L. "Ernie" Samuel, it began as a home for competition hunter/jumper horses. One Sam ...

(1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 2004) 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 ...

: * 5 - Pat Remillard (1937, 1943, 1947, 1961, 1963) * 5 -

Dave Penna David Penna (January 11, 1958 – January 13, 2004) was an American jockey in Thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racing who competed in the United States but had his greatest successes in Canada. Born in Auburn, New York, he began his caree ...

(1982, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1995) Most wins by a trainer: * 6 - Henry McDaniel (1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926)

Winners of the Grey Stakes since 1956

*In 1963 Bimini Bill finished first but was disqualified and set back to second. *In 1999 Exciting Story won but was disqualified and placed fifth.

Earlier winners

*1955 - Compactor *1954 - Senator Jim *1953 - King Maple *1952 - Avella *1951 - I'm Sandy *1950 - Argyle *1949 - Mighty Nice *1948 - Avona *1947 - Dymoke *1946 - Watch Wrack *1945 - Hyperhelio *1944 - Dune *1943 - Green Bush *1942 - Gallant Foe *1941 - Air Sure *1940 - Jascarf *1939 - Second Helping *1938 - Peterhof *1937 - Poona *1936 - Aldwych *1935 - Abbatoro *1934 - Brannon *1933 -

*1932 - Tractable *1931 - Dark Mission *1930 - Irish Maiden *1929 - Sweet Sentiment *1928 - Butter John *1927 - Solace *1926 - Willie K. *1925 - Penstick *1924 - Caduceus *1923 - Turnberry *1922 - Prismar *1921 - Marble *1920 - Our Flag *1919 - ''No race'' (

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

) *1918 - ''No race'' (World War I) *1917 - ''No race'' (World War I) *1916 - Arravan *1915 - Candle *1914 - Lady Curzon *1913 - Hodge *1912 - Leochares *1911 - Aldebaran *1910 - Picolata *1909 - Penn *1908 - Arondack *1907 - Dredger *1906 - Glimmer {{div col end

Records

Winners of the Grey Stakes since 1956

Earlier winners

See also