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Beldame Stakes
| Race Name |
Grade |
Track |
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| Beldame Stakes |
1 |
Belmont Park |
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Beldame Stakes
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The Beldame Stakes is an
American Grade 1 flat horse race for thoroughbred fillies and mares aged
three years and older on dirt, and is held annually at Belmont Park in
Elmont, New York in the beginning of October. Inaugurated in 1939, the
Beldame Stakes has been run over many distances in its time.
Up until 1960 the Beldame Stakes was run as a handicap. It was contested
over 1 1/16 miles in 1939 and 1990, over 1 mile and 1 furlong from 1940
to 1976, over 1 1/4 miles from 1977 to 1989 and from 1991 until now it
has been run over 1 1/8 miles. The race currently offers a purse of
$600,000.
The Beldame Stakes was named after National Museum of Racing and Hall of
Famer Beldame, a talented mare that graced the US horseracing scene from
1903 to 1905. In 1904 Beldame was named US Horse of the Year and in 1956
was honored when she was inducted into the US Racing Hall of Fame.
Being such an old race, the Beldame Stakes boasts a long and rich
heritage and has seen some of the most talented US fillies and mares
compete over the years. One of the more recent is Ashado who won the
Beldame Stakes in 2005, the same year she was named US Champion Older
Female Horse.
Since its inception only nine fillies and mares have ever won the
Beldame Stakes twice but none have won it three times. However,
top-rated Panamanian-born jockey Jorge Velasquez has won the Beldame
Stakes an impressive 5 times - in 1973, 1976, 1978, 1984 and 1985. |
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Beldame Stakes - Past Winners
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2003 Sightseek
2004 Sightseek
2005 Ashado
2006 Fleet Indian
2007 Unbridled Belle
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