The Lane's End Stakes is a 1 1/8 mile American Gr 2 horserace
open to three-year-old thoroughbreds and is run at the end of March
each year at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky over synthetic
surface. With a purse of $500,000, the Lane's End Stakes is a
popular prep race for the Kentucky Derby.
Inaugurated in April 1972, the race was first called the Spiral
Stake. Ten years later in 1982 when sponsor Jim Beam came on board,
the race was renamed the Jim Beam Spiral Stakes. When Lane's End
Farm took over the sponsorship of the race in 2002, it was renamed
the Lane's End Stakes.
In 1984 the American Graded Stakes Committee awarded the Lane's End
Stakes its Gr 1 status. In 1986 was awarded its current Gr 2 status.
Since its beginning, the race has been contested over many
distances. For instance, from 1972 until 1981 it was run over 1 mile
and from 1982 to 1987 over 1 1/6 miles.
From 1988 until now it has been raced over its current distance of 1
1/8 miles. In 1991 (while it was still the Jim Beam Stakes), Hansel
set a new track record in a time of 1:46.60, while Serena's Song was
the first filly to win the race in 1995. In 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977,
1978, and 1980 the race was run in two divisions.
Pat Day currently holds the record for the most wins by a jockey
with five - in 1984, 1987, 1989, 1990 and 1992. William E. Adams has
notched up the most wins as a trainer with seven - in 1977 (2), 1978
(2), 1979 and 1980 (2). Golden Chance Farm has won the race four
times - in 1977, 1978 and 1980 (2). |
