The Ladies Stakes is a historic 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 ...

for

Fillies A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, ...

and

Mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than f ...

s four years of age and older held annually at

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park and Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack located within New York City limits. Its racing ...

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Inaugurated at the

Jerome Park Racetrack Jerome Park Racetrack was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility from 1866 until 1894. It was located in a part of Westchester County, New York that was annexed into the Bronx in 1874. Jerome Park Racetrack was the home of the Belmont Sta ...

in 1868, it is the oldest stakes race in the United States exclusively for fillies and mares. An unlisted stakes race, it is currently run on or about New Year's Day and offers a purse of $100,000. From its beginnings in 1868 through 1912 the race was restricted to three-year-old fillies then from 1913 through 1938, it was made open to fillies of any age. Since 1939, it has been open to older fillies and mares. There was no race in 1895 and also none in 1911 and 1912, as a result of the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an officia ...

passage of the

Hart–Agnew Law The Hart–Agnew Law was an anti- gambling bill passed into law by the Legislature of the State of New York on June 11, 1908. It was an amalgam of bills enacted as Chapter 506 and 507 which were sponsored by conservative Assemblyman Merwin K. ...

in 1908 which banned wagering and led to the shut down of all racing in the state. In 2006, the race was not run due to the shortage of entrants and as a result of NYRA financial reorganization, neither was it run in 2009. The Ladies Handicap has been won by some notable females in American racing history including Hall of Fame inductees

Firenze Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

Miss Woodford Miss Woodford (1880–1899) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was one of the top American fillies of all time, winning 16 consecutive races. Background Miss Woodford was bred in Kentucky by the Ezekiel Clay & Catesby Woodford br ...

, Beldame,

Maskette Maskette (1906–1930) was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse who never lost a race against other fillies. Background Bred by James R. Keene at his Castleton Farm near Lexington, Kentucky, Maskette was trained by future Hall of ...

, Top Flight and Shuvee. The Ladies Handicap has also been run at: *

: 1868–1890 *

Morris Park Racecourse Morris Park Racecourse was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility from 1889 to 1904. It was located in a part of Westchester County, New York that was annexed into the Bronx in 1895 and later developed as the neighborhood of Morris Park ...

: 1890–1904 *

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Raci ...

: 1905–1958, 1960

Records

Speed record * 1:49.78 @ 1-1/8 miles: Teen Pauline (2014) * 1:36.40 @ 1 mile: Red Eye (1939) * 2:01.40 @ 1-1/4 miles: Bastonera II (1976), Transient Trend (1995) * 2:29.40 @ 1-1/2 miles: Goofed (1963) * 2:58.25 @ 1-5/8 miles: Katie Pease 1873) Most wins *

Black Maria Black Maria may refer to: Art and literature * Black Mariah (comics), a character in the Luke Cage comics series * Black Maria, a character in the manga series ''One Piece'' * ''Black Maria'' (novel), a 1991 novel by Diana Wynne Jones *''Black ...

(1926, 1927) * Strolling Belle (1999, 2000) Most wins by a jockey * 6 – Ángel Cordero Jr. (1968, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1981, 1988) Most wins by a trainer * 4 – Jacob Pincus (1872, 1875, 1876, 1880) * 4 – R. Wyndham Walden (1877, 1879, 1881, 1894) * 4 –

John C. Kimmel John C. Kimmel (born June 25, 1954, in East Orange East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's populati ...

(1998, 1999, 2000, 2004) Most wins by an owner * 5 –

August Belmont August Belmont Sr. (born August Schönberg; December 8, 1813November 24, 1890) was a German-American financier, diplomat, politician and party chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and also a horse-breeder and racehorse owner. He was ...

(1872, 1875, 1876, 1880, 1889)

Winners

* In 2000, Pentatonic won the race, but was disqualified and set back to second. * In 1974, Poker Night won the race, but was disqualified and set back to second. * In 1970, Manta won the race, but was disqualified and set back to second.

References

{{reflist Horse races in New York (state) Ungraded stakes races in the United States Mile category horse races for fillies and mares Sports competitions in New York City Recurring sporting events established in 1868 Aqueduct Racetrack Morris Park Racecourse Jerome Park Racetrack