The Pat O'Brien 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

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-year-olds and older over a distance of seven

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...

s on the dirt track scheduled annually in August at

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is an event venue in Del Mar, California. It hosts the annual San Diego County Fair. The venue sits on a property along the Pacific Ocean coastline. It includes the Del Mar Racetrack, built in 1936 by the Del Mar Thoroug ...

Del Mar, California Del Mar (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach city in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The population was 3,954 ...

. The event currently carries a purse of $250,000.

History

The race was named in honor of actor and Del Mar Racetrack co-founder, Pat O'Brien ''(1899–1983)''. Pat O'Brien, a classic character movie actor who often appeared in a

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

starring vehicle, loved the races. The inaugural running of the event was on 25 September 1980, the twelfth and final day of the Del Mar Fair meeting. The event was for two-year-olds, over a distance of furlongs on the turf track and was won by Elmendorf Farm's Seafood in a time of 1:30. The following year the L.A. County Fair was moved to Pomona Fairgrounds and the event was idle. In 1986 the administration of Del Mar renewed the event during their summer meeting as a sprint handicap over seven furlongs on the dirt. Between 1990–1995 and 2004–2006 the race had

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 ...

incentives which were reflected in the name of the event. The event was classified a Grade III event in 1994 and upgraded to Grade II in 1999. In 2009 the event became 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 ...

and after three runnings it was downgraded back to a Grade II stakes. Of the notable winners of the event are

Lit de Justice In France under the Ancien Régime, the ''lit de justice'' (, "bed of justice") was a particular formal session of the Parlement of Paris, under the presidency of the King of France, for the compulsory registration of the royal edicts and to im ...

who won in 1995 in stakes record time, the following year he won the Breeders' Cup Sprint. The 1996 winner Alphabet Soup used the sprint event in his campaign which led to a victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic. The 2014 winner Goldencents went on to win his second

Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile is a Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up. As its name implies, it is part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the ''de facto'' year-end championship for North American ...

Records

Speed record: *7 furlongs (dirt): 1:20.06 –

(1995) *7 furlongs (Polytrack): 1:20.99 – Goldencents (2014) Margins: * lengths – Catalina Cruiser (2018) Most wins: * 2 – Catalina Cruiser (2018, 2019) * 2 – Disturbingthepeace (2002, 2003) 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 –

Victor Espinoza Victor Espinoza (born May 23, 1972) is a Mexican jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing who won the Triple Crown in 2015 on American Pharoah. He began riding in his native Mexico and went on to compete at racetracks in California. He has ...

(2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009) Most wins by a trainer: * 8 – Bob Baffert (2000, 2001, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022) Most wins by an owner: * 2 – Hronis Racing (2018, 2019) * 2 – Rita & David Milch (2002, 2003)

Winners

''Legend:''

External links

2020 Del Mar Media Guide

References

{{reflist, 2 Del Mar Racetrack Horse races in California Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Open mile category horse races Recurring events established in 1980 Breeders' Cup Challenge series 1980 establishments in California

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References