The Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run over a distance of one and three-sixteenths miles on the turf held annually in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The purse for the event is US$600,000.
| Grade I race | |
| Location | Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Springs, New York, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | First establishment: 1904–1906 (as Saratoga Derby) Reestablished: 2019 |
| Website | NYRA |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+3⁄16 miles |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds |
| Weight | Colts & Geldings 122 lbs. Fillies 119 lbs. |
| Purse | US$600,000 (since 2023) |
| Bonuses | Automatic qualification to GI W. S. Cox Plate (AUS) |
History edit
First years edit
The inaugural running of the event known as the Saratoga Derby was on 13 August 1904 run as the fourth race on the day's card over a distance of 1+5⁄16 miles on the dirt track. The event was won by James R. Keene's 1904 Belmont Stakes winner Delhi starting as 2/9 odds-on favorite who led from start to finish in a small three horse field defeating the entry of Stalwart and St. Valentine in a time of 2:132⁄5.[1] The second running was won by the Cairngorm who earlier in the spring had won the 1905 Preakness Stakes which was held at Gravesend Race Track.[2] The event only attracted four runners but the winning margin was a close neck in a time of 2:18 flat.[3] The third and last running in 1906 was won by the favorite Accountant who defeated Gallavant and McKittredge. At that time the event was richer than the Travers Stakes and Accountant was the top stakes earner for the year with $81,925 for owner Diamond Jim Brady.[4]
The entrance into the event, with additional declaration fees needed to be paid when horses were still two-year-olds was a burden which curtailed the number of horses that would start in the event. The event was not held after 1906.[5]
Renewal edit
In 2019 the New York Racing Association with the influx of racino dollars created a new racing series for turf horses called the Turf Trinity. The Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes was positioned as the second leg of the new three race series with the first running on 21 July 2019 over a distance of 1+3⁄16 miles with an impressive purse of US$1 million. In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, NYRA cut the purse to $500,000 meeting.[6] The other events of the Turf Trinity are the Belmont Derby and the Jockey Club Derby at Belmont Park.
For 2021 the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association's American Graded Stakes Committee upgraded the classification of the event to the highest status of Grade I.[7] The 2021 winner, the Irish-bred State Of Rest confirmed the high classification of the event by later in the year travelling to Australia and winning the Group 1 Weight for age W. S. Cox Plate and the following year winning the Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Records edit
Speed record:
- 1+3⁄16 miles: 1:52.02 A Thread of Blue (2019)
Margins:
- 1+3⁄4 lengths – Nations Pride (IRE) (2022)
Most wins by an owner:
- 2 – Klaravich Stables (2020, 2023)
Most wins by a trainer:
- 2 – Chad C. Brown (2020, 2023)
Most wins by a jockey:
- No jockey has won the event more than once
Winners edit
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Distance | Time | Purse | Grade | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes | ||||||||||
| 2023 | Program Trading (GB) | Flavien Prat | Chad C. Brown | Klaravich Stables | 1+3⁄16 miles | 1:56.63 | $600,000 | I | [8] | |
| 2022 | Nations Pride (IRE) | William Buick | Charlie Appleby | Godolphin | 1+3⁄16 miles | 1:54.72 | $1,000,000 | I | [9] | |
| 2021 | State Of Rest (IRE) | John R. Velazquez | Joseph Patrick O'Brien | Teme Valley | 1+3⁄16 miles | 1:53.35 | $1,000,000 | I | [10] | |
| 2020 | Domestic Spending (GB) | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Chad C. Brown | Klaravich Stables | 1+3⁄16 miles | 1:52.52 | $500,000 | [6] | ||
| 2019 | A Thread of Blue | Luis Saez | Kiaran P. McLaughlin | Leonard C. Green | 1+3⁄16 miles | 1:52.02 | $1,000,000 | [11] | ||
| 1907–2018 | Race not held | |||||||||
| Saratoga Derby | ||||||||||
| 1906 | Accountant | Jack Martin | Matthew M. Allen | James Buchanan Brady | 1+5⁄16 miles | 2:16.40 | $9,670 | [12] | ||
| 1905 | Cairngorm | Willie Davis | A. Jack Joyner | Sydney Paget | 1+5⁄16 miles | 2:18.00 | $7,885 | [3] | ||
| 1904 | Delhi | George M. Odom | James G. Rowe Sr. | James R. Keene | 1+5⁄16 miles | 2:13.40 | $10,285 | [1] | ||
Legend:
Dirt
Turf
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "'Twas Easy for Delhi; Only Had Two Opponents In The Saratoga Derby; Led From Start To Finish (1904 Saratoga Derby - race 4 held 13 August 1904)". Baltimore Sun. 14 August 1904. p. 10. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ "Cairngorm Won From Kiamesha By A Head". The New York Times. 28 May 1905. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Cairngorm In Drive, Wins Saratoga Derby; Sidney Paget's Colt defeats Glenecho by Scant Head; Plucky Gentleman Rider... (1905 Saratoga Derby - race 4 held 17 August 1905)". The New York Times. 18 August 1905. p. 5. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Bouyea, Brian (6 December 2019). "The (Mostly) True Legend Of 'Diamond Jim' Brady". Saratoga Living. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "Goodwin's Official Annual Turf Guide for 1906 Volume 2". Google Books. Goodwin. 1907. pp. 8, 12, 304. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
Saratoga Derby - placegetters
- ^ a b "2020 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes Black Type - (race 8)". Equibase. 15 August 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Schweigardt, Andrew (2021). "TOBA Announces U.S. Graded and Listed Stakes for 2021". Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ "2023 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes Grade 1 - (race 9)" (PDF). Equibase. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ "2022 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes Grade 1 - (race 11)". Equibase. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ "2021 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes Grade 1 - (race 9)". Equibase. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "2019 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes Black Type - (race 9)". Equibase. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ "Accountant's Derby; Heavy-Betting Race; Favorite Won Saratoga's Great 3-Year-Old Event from Gallavant (1906 Saratoga Derby - race 4 held 23 August 1906)". The New York Times. 24 August 1906. p. 8. Retrieved 18 July 2021.