The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes is 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 ...

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 Henry John Rous, Admiral Rous, a handicapper with the English ...

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 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'', ...

track scheduled in late September or early October at . The event currently offers a purse of $500,000. Race Course " changes ANNUALLY.

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 as Grade I and was returned to the 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 from three years of age and upwards on Turf. It is held annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The current purse is . History The Cana ...

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 ...

and the Washington D.C. International at

Laurel Park Racecourse Laurel Park, formerly Laurel Race Course, is an American 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" for several decades un ...

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River, in northern Prince George's County. Its population was 30,060 at the 2020 census. Founded as a mill town i ...

. That year the champion

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

bred filly

All Along All Along (7 April 1979 – 23 February 2005) was a champion Thoroughbred mare that was foaled and trained in France. She was one of the top European fillies since World War II. While she mostly raced in Europe, the filly also won top-le ...

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 Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was ...

era include the French bred mare, winner in 1978,

Waya Waya (1974–2001) was a French Thoroughbred World Record holding racehorse who competed successfully in France and was a Champion in the United States. She was bred by the prominent French horseman Daniel Wildenstein through his breeding compa ...

, who was crowned the US Champion Older Female Horse the following year. The Irish bred filly

April Run {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = April Run , image = , caption = , sire = Run the Gantlet , grandsire = Tom Rolfe , dam = April Fancy , damsire = No Argument , sex = mare , foaled = 1978-{{death date and age, 1994, 1978 , country = ...

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 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 ...

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 Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

. The 1986 winner, the three-year-old

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, and the 1987 winner, the Irish bred

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

, both won the

and were voted US Champion Male Turf Horse. In 1994 Tikkanen also won the Turf Classic-

double enroute to US Champion Male Turf Horse. In 2004 the event was renamed 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 A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (periodical), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the ...

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 serv ...

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

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

was a

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 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 within ...

due to infield tunnel and redevelopment work at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

. The 2022 & 2023 winner was

's daughter War Like Goddess, with his offspring successful in the event for the fourth time.

Records

Time record: * 2:23.39 – Big Blue Kitten (2015) Margins: * lengths – Grand Couturier (GB) (2008) Most wins: * 2 –

(IRE) (1981, 1982) * 2 – Val's Prince (1997, 1999) * 2 –

(2006, 2007) * 2 – Channel Maker (2018, 2020) * 2 – War Like Goddess (2022, 2023) Most wins by an owner: * 4 –

Bertram Bertram may refer to: Places *Bertram, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth, Australia *Bertram, Iowa, United States, a city *Bertram, Texas, United States, a city *Bertram Glacier, Palmer Land, Antarctica Other uses *Bertram (name), a list of peo ...

& Diana M. Firestone (1981, 1982, 1987, 2010) 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 – John R. Velazquez (1995, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2012) Most wins by a trainer: * 6 –

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 (horse), Cigar. Mott earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 1995, 1996, 2011, 2013. He was ind ...

(1987, 2005, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023)

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 Horse races established in 1977 1977 establishments in New York (state)

History

Records

Winners

See also

References