The Maker's Mark Mile 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

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 four years old and older over a distance of one mile 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 early April at

Keeneland Race Course Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for it ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

during the spring meeting.

History

The event was inaugurated as the Fort Harrod Stakes on 13 April 1989 and was run over distance of about miles the won by the seven year old Yankee Affair who set a course record in winning the event in a time of 1:43. The following year the event was decreased to the current distance of one mile. The Fort Harrod Stakes was named after the

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

which was named after

James Harrod James Harrod () was a pioneer, soldier, and hunter who helped explore and settle the area west of the Allegheny Mountains. Little is known about Harrod's early life, including the exact date of his birth. He was possibly underage when he served i ...

, who led an early party of settlers into Kentucky in the 1770s. In 1997 the

Maker's Mark Maker's Mark is a small-batch bourbon whisky produced in Loretto, Kentucky, by Suntory Global Spirits. It is bottled at 90 U.S. proof (45% alcohol by volume) and sold in squarish bottles sealed with red wax. The distillery offers tours, and ...

distillery located not far from Lexington, began their sponsorship of the event and Keeneland's administration renamed the event to the Maker's Mark Mile Stakes. In 2010 the event was once again renamed to a

bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon, a beer produced by Brasseries de Bourbon * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * Bourbon coffee, a type of coffee ma ...

distilled by Maker's Mark – Maker's 46 Mile Stakes. The event was classified a Grade III in 1991 and was upgraded to Grade II race in 2000. In 2008 the event reached as a Grade I status confirming the quality that had competed in previous years and continues to attract. Several class horses who have won this event in the spring have continued to prove their dominance. The 1991 winner,

Opening Verse Opening Verse (1986–2002) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in England and the United States. Background Bred in Kentucky, his sire was the 1977 Epsom and Irish Derby winner, The Minstrel. Out of the mare Shy Dawn, his damsire was ...

continued on to win the

Breeders' Cup Mile The Breeders' Cup Mile is a conditions races, Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a sod, grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup, Breeders' Cup World C ...

that year. Several others including Artie Schiller in 2005, 2006 US Champion Male Turf Horse

Miesque's Approval Miesque's Approval (foaled March 3, 1999 in Florida) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2006 Breeders' Cup Mile and was voted that year's American Champion Male Turf Horse. He was bred and raced by Charlotte Weber's Live Oak Planta ...

and Kip Deville in 2007 have also performed this feat. Twice

American Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, or simply Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to san ...

(2012, 2013)

Wise Dan Wise Dan (foaled February 20, 2007) is a champion American Hall of Fame and Canadian Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. He is the first horse to win the same three Eclipse Awards in consecutive years, having been named American Horse of the ...

also won Breeders' Cup Mile in 2013 and also captured this event the following year for the second time. Miss Temple City is the only mare to have won this event in 2016.

Records

Speed record * 1:33.46 – Chez Pierre (FR) (2023) Margins * lengths – Get Stormy (2011) Most wins * 2 –

(2013, 2014) * 2 – Kip Deville (2007, 2008) 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 ...

* 4 –

Javier Castellano Javier Castellano (born October 23, 1977) is a Venezuelan jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Castellano won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey four times in a row from 2013 to 2016. In 2023 he won two legs of the American Tripl ...

(2011, 2015, 2017, 2019) Most wins by an owner * 2 –

Allen E. Paulson Allen Eugene Paulson (April 22, 1922 – July 19, 2000) was an American businessman. Business career in aviation Born in Clinton, Iowa, Allen E. Paulson was on his own at age 13, supporting himself selling newspapers and doing janitorial wo ...

(1991, 1993) * 2 – Gainsborough Farm (1999, 2002) * 2 – IEAH Stables, Pegasus Holding Group Stables, J. Roberts & A. & S. Cohen (2007, 2008) * 2 – Morton Fink (2013, 2014) * 2 –

Gary Barber Gary Barber (born 1957) is a South African and American film producer. Barber was the chairman and CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He is also co-founder of Spyglass Media Group. Biography Barber was born to a Jewish family in Johannesburg, South ...

(2018, 2020) * 2 – Charles E. Fipke (2004, 2022) Most wins by a trainer * 3 – Roger L. Attfield (1992, 2004, 2022)

Winners

''Notes:''
† Filly or Mare

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 1 stakes races in the United States Grade 1 turf stakes races in the United States Open mile category horse races Keeneland horse races Horse races established in 1989 1989 establishments in Kentucky

History

Records

Winners

See also

References