The Cradle Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds held at Belterra Park (formerly River Downs) in Cincinnati, Ohio. Open to two-year-olds, it is run over a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles on the turf.^[1]

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It was originally created as a dirt race for juveniles in 1977. Miller Genuine Draft sponsored the race from the beginning and, until 2009, it was the longest continuously sponsored Thoroughbred race in the United States.^{[citation needed]} During the 1980s, the Cradle Stakes grew to become the richest race for 2-year-olds in Ohio. One notable winner in that decade was Spend a Buck, who won the 1984 Cradle before going on to win the Kentucky Derby and Horse of the Year honors in 1985.^[1]

The Cradle Stakes was moved to the turf in 2007 to serve as a prep for the new Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf race.^{[citation needed]} River Downs management put the Cradle, and its filly counterpart the Bassinet, on hiatus after 2010 as part of a new contract with horsemen in an effort to maintain daily purses. In July 2022, Belterra management announced that both races would return in September of that year.^[1] Both races were cancelled again in August 2022.