San Juan Capistrano Stakes: Difference between revisions

| weight = Base weights with allowances:<br />4-year-olds and up: 125126 [[pound (mass)|lbs]].<br />3-year-olds: 120 [[pound (mass)|lbs]].

| purse = US$100,000 (20192023)

The '''San Juan Capistrano Stakes''' is a [[Graded stakes race|Grade III]] American [[thoroughbred horse race]] for horses age three and older over a distance of about {{fraccvt|1|mile|1,232|yd|km|3|4 abbr=on}} miles run on the [[grass|turf]] track held at [[Santa Anita Park]] in [[Arcadia, California]] in June. The event currently offers a purse of $100,000. It is one of the longest [[Graded grassstakes race|graded]] grass races in Americathe United States.

The event was inaugurated on 9 March 1935, when [[Head Play]] defeated Top Row and Ladysman on a muddy track by 2 lengths in a time of 1:51{{frac|4|5}} before a crowd of 45,000 on the closing day of Santa Anita meeting.<ref name=R1935/> In 1937 an even greatedgreater crowd came to witness [[Seabiscuit]] set a new track record for the {{frac|1|1|8}} miles winning by 7 lengths.<ref name=R1937/> The event in 1940 only it was limited to three-year-olds<ref name=R1940/> and for three-year-olds and older in all other years prior to 1968.<ref name=SA_Media>{{cite web|url= https://www.santaanita.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/LATC19ii_MG_web.pdf|title=Santa Anita Media Guide for 2019 Winter Meet |date=2019 |accessdate=18 June 2020 |work=Santa Anita Media}}</ref>

The San Juan Capistrano is run around four turns, and begins at the top of Santa Anita's downhill chute, normally used for {{frac|6 |1/|2 }}-furlong sprint races. From the start point, horses begin their descent down the hill. Within the first two furlongs of the race, horses turn right – one of only two locations in North American horse racing that a right turn is used (the other is at [[Kentucky Downs]]). After a brief straight run, there is a gentle turn to the left until the horses cross the dirt course and enter the main turf oval. Horses then run one full lap of the turf course to complete the {{convert|1|mi|1,232|yd|km|3}} distance. In 2016 the Santa Anita's downhill chute was under repair, and the race was run on the flat turf oval, at {{frac|1|7|8}} miles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/99008/casablanca-dominant-in-san-juan-capistrano |title='Casablanca' Dominant in San Juan Capistrano|date=10 April 2016|accessdate= 10 April 2016|publisher=Bloodhorse.com|last=Balan|first=Jeremy}}</ref>

In 1965 theit became an Invitationalinvitational event and was named the San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap.<ref name=Pedigree/>

With the increasing emphasis on speed horses bred to compete in the [[Kentucky Derby]] and [[Breeders' Cup Classic]] distance of {{frac|1|1|4}} miles on dirt, during the last two decades longer races run on grass or dirt in North America have been in decline. Once a Grade I event, the about {{frac|1|3|4}} miles San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap now holds a Grade III classification. Since 2007, the winner of the San Juan Capistrano has received ballot -free entry into Australia's greatest horse race and the staying championship of the world, the [[Melbourne Cup]]. Since 2008, no San Juan Capistrano winner has made the trip to [[Flemington Racecourse|Flemington]] for the Melbourne Cup.

The event was downgraded to a Grade II in 2004 and to a Grade III race in 2015.<ref name=Equibase>{{Cite web|url=https://www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Stakes&stkid=822|title=San Juan Capistrano Stakes (Gr. 3) |last=Equibase.com |website=www.equibase.com|language=enEquibase|access-date=18 June 2020}}</ref>

The event for many runnings was held on the closing day of the Santa Anita spring meeting, which was in April. However, with the takeover of events from the close of [[Hollywood Park Racetrack]] in 2013, the event has been held in June, with three -year -olds allowed to enter.

The event had showcased many a champion and notable runnings. In 1950 the Irish -bred Championchampion [[Noor (horse)|Noor]] defeated the 1948 [[United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing|Triple Crown]] champion [[Citation (horse)|Citation]] by a neck before a crowd of about 60,000.<ref name=R1950/>

*{{frac|1|3|4}} miles: 2:42.96 – Bienamado (2001)

|The Ellwood Johnston Trust and& Timmy Time Racing

|Ernest Marchosky, Ken Shaw, Kate Walters, Lo Hi Stable &, John Mendenhall

|Mike[[Michael R. Mitchell]]

|MikeMichael R. Mitchell

|[[ReneRené R. Douglas]]

|[[Darrell Vienna]]

|<ref name=R1990>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/search/#lnd=1&query=Capistrano+Delegant&ymd=1990-04-23 |title=17-117–1 Choice Deleganty Overcomes Valdali to Win San Juan Capistrano (1990 San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap – race 8: ''held 22 April 1990'') |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=23 April 1990 |accessdate=18 June 2020 |page=59|first=Bob |last=Mieczerski }}</ref>

|<ref name=R1989>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/search/#lnd=1&query=Capistrano+Nasr+El+Arab+Pleasant+Variety&ymd=1989-04-24&offset=1 |title=Nasr El Arab wins Capistrano (1989 San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap – race 8: ''held 23 April 1989'') |agency=[[The Associated Press]] |work=[[The San Bernardino County Sun]] |date=24 April 1989 |accessdate=18 June 2020 |page=21 }}</ref>

|[[Thad D. Ackel]]

|Class Act Stable (George Ackel)

|<ref name=R1988>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/search/#lnd=1&query=Capistrano+Great+Communicator&ymd=1988-04-25&offset=4 |title=Great Communicator Beats Fiction by Neck (1988 San Juan Capistrano Handicap – race 8: ''held 24 April 1988'') |agency=[[The Associated Press]] |work=[[The San Bernardino County Sun]] |date=25 April 1988 |accessdate=18 June 2020 |page=39 | first = Bill | last = Christine}}</ref>

|[[Darrel G. McHargue]]

|[[Darrel G. McHargue]]

|[[A. Thomas Doyle]]

|[[J. Elliott Burch]]

|<ref name=R1972>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/search/#lnd=1&query=Capistrano+Practicante+Cougar+ABBOTT&ymd=1972-04-09 |title=Practicante Whips Cougar 3-53–5 Choice (1972 San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap – race 8: ''held 8 April 1972'') |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=9 April 1972 |accessdate=18 June 2020 |pages=37, 48| first = Bion| last = Abbott}}</ref>

|[[AlvaroÁlvaro Pineda]]

|[[John H. Adams (jockey)|Johnny Adams]]

|[[AlvaroÁlvaro Pineda]]

|[[John H. Adams (jockey)|Johnny Adams]]

|[[George Royal]] ([[Canada|CAN]])

|[[George Royal]] ([[Canada|CAN]])

|[[Travis M. Kerr|Mr. & Mrs. Travis M. Kerr]]

|By Zeus

|[[Miss Grillo]] [[Argentina|(ARG)]]

|[[John H. Adams (jockey)|Johnny Adams]]

|[[Josephine Harford Bryce|Mill River Stable]]

| [[Clyde Phillips (horse trainer)|Clyde Phillips]]

|[[J. H. Logan]]

|[[John H. Adams (jockey)|Johnny Adams]]

| [[Walter Burrows]]

| [[Townsend. B. Martin]]

|[[Indian Broom]]

| [[Darrell F. Cannon]]

| [[Duval A. Headley]]

|<ref name=R1936>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/search/#lnd=1&query=San+Juan+Capistrano+Tick+On+Whopper+Ariel+Cross+purse&ymd=1936-03-01 |title=How Whopper Won (1936 San Juan Capistrano Handicap – race 6: ''held 29 February 1936'') |agency=[[The Associated Press]] |work=[[St. Louis Globe-Democrat]] |date=1 March 1936 |accessdate=18 June 2020 |page=60 }}</ref>

| [[J. Thomas Taylor]]