Swynford Stakes

Horseraces infobox
class = Ungraded Stakes
horse race = Swynford Stakes


caption =
location = Woodbine Racetrack
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
inaugurated = 1956
race type = Thoroughbred - Flat racing
website = [http://www.woodbineentertainment.com/qct/default.asp Woodbine Racetrack]
distance = 7 furlongs
track = Dirt, left-handed
qualification = Two-year-olds
weight = Allowances
purse = $125,000
bonuses =

Swynford Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late September at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. One of the track's top races for North American two-year-olds, it is raced on dirt over a distance of seven furlongs.

Inaugurated in 1956 at Greenwood Raceway as a race for horses aged three and up, in 1967 it was moved to Woodbine Racetrack where it was modified to its current status as a race restricted to two-year-olds.

In 1982, the Swynford Stakes was won by Sunny's Halo who went on to win the 1983 Kentucky Derby. The 1997 Belmont Stakes winner Touch Gold ran second to Holzmeister in the 1996 running of the Swynford.

Since inception, the Swynford Stakes has been run at various distances:

At Greenwood Raceway:
* 1956 : 6 furlongs
* 1957 : 6½ furlongs
* 1958-1960 : 7 furlongs
* 1961-1966 : 1 mile At Woodbine Racetrack:
* 1967-1970 : 5 furlongs
* 1971-1972 : 5½ furlongs
* 1973-1975 : 6 furlongs
* 1976-1979 : 5 furlongs
* 1980-1985 : 7 furlongs1986-1995 : 6½ furlongs1996 to present : 7 furlongs

Records

Speed record: (at current distance of 7 furlongs)
* 1:23.00 - Holzmeister (1996) (recorded in fractions of 1/5 seconds)
* 1:23.02 - Turf War (2007)

Most wins by a jockey:
* 5 - Robin Platts (1968, 1971, 1976, 1978, 1992)

Most wins by a trainer:
* 3 - Frank H. Merrill, Jr. (1961, 1972, 1974)
* 3 - Mark Casse (1999, 2002, 2007)

Most wins by an owner:
* 2 - Lanson Farms (1956, 1960)
* 2 - Windfields Farm (1958, 1987)
* 2 - Stafford Farms (1976, 1978)

Winners of the Swynford Stakes

*Run in two divisions in 1973.