- Hopeful Stakes
Horseraces infobox
class = Grade I
horse race = Hopeful Stakes
caption =
location =Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Springs, New York flagicon|USA
inaugurated = 1904
race type =Thoroughbred -Flat racing
website = [http://www.nyra.com/ Saratoga Race Course]
distance = 7furlong s
track = Dirt, left-handed
qualification = Two-year-olds
weight = 120 lbs.
purse = $250,000
bonuses = The Hopeful Stakes is an AmericanThoroughbred horse race run annually atSaratoga Race Course inSaratoga Springs, New York . Open to two-year-old horses, the Hopeful is the first Grade I stakes for two-year-olds each season and historically has been a showcase for some of the top East Coast horses at that age group. Raced on the dirt over a distance of sevenfurlong s, the Grade I event offers a purse of $250,000.Inaugurated in 1904, the first running of the Hopeful Stakes was won by the
filly Tanya who would go on to win one of theAmerican Classic Races the following year. Initially raced at a distance of six furlongs, from 1925 through 1993 it was run at six and a half furlongs and since 1994 at seven furlongs. Currently, the Hopeful Stakes is the first influential prep race leading up to theBreeders' Cup Juvenile and since 1925 has been a competition that marks the first time two-year-olds are tested at a distance beyond six furlongs. The name stems from the hope every two-year-old handlers have for their horse's racing futureDue to the State of New York's legislated ban on
parimutuel betting , there was no race in 1911 and 1912. DuringWorld War II , the Hopeful Stakes was run atBelmont Park in l943, l944, and l945.Only four horses have ever won all three Saratoga Racecourse events for two-year-olds. Regret (1914), Campfire (1916),
Dehere (1993), andCity Zip (2000) each swept the Hopeful Stakes,Saratoga Special Stakes , and theSanford Stakes .In 2008, the race was sponsored by Three Chimneys Farm of Midway, KY.
Records
Time record: (at current 7 furlong distance)
* 1:21.94 -Came Home (2001)Most wins by an owner:
* 4 -George D. Widener, Jr. (1928, 1950, 1961, 1966)Most wins by a
jockey :
* 6 -Jerry D. Bailey (1982, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005)Winners of the Hopeful Stakes
* Run in two divisions in l974 and l975.
* In 1979, Rockhill Native finished first but was disqualified and placed sixth.
* In 2000, there was a Dead Heat between Yonaguska and City Zip.
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