Valedictory_Stakes

Valedictory Stakes

Valedictory Stakes

Horse race


The Valedictory Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late November or early December at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Open to horses age three and older, the Grade III stakes is contested on a synthetic "all weather" dirt surface over a distance of 1+12 miles (12 furlongs).

Quick Facts Location, Inaugurated ...

History

Inaugurated as the Valedictory Handicap in 1952 at the Dufferin Park Racetrack, it was moved to the new Woodbine Racetrack for the 1956 running where it remained through 1960. From 1961 through 1993, the race was hosted by Greenwood Raceway; thereafter, the race returned to Woodine where it remains.

The Valedictory was originally run on dirt but in 2006 Woodbine switched to a synthetic "all weather" surface[1] (originally Polytrack and then Tapeta starting in 2016). Always a longer distance race, over the years it has been contested at a variety of distances:

  • 1952: 1+58 miles
  • 1954–1955: 1+38 miles
  • 1956–2019: 1+34 miles
  • 2021-Present: 1+12 miles

The Valedictory was not run in 1953. The 2008 Valedictory was canceled due to extreme cold weather, while the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Valedictory was upgraded to grade III status in 2011.[1] It is the final stakes event of the year at Woodbine racetrack, which is closed to Thoroughbred racing during the winter.[2]

Records

Speed record:

  • 2:31.10 - Who's The Star, Wentru (2022 - Dead heat) (At current distance of 1+12 miles)

Most wins:

  • 2 - Bernfield (1957, 1958)
  • 2 - Whiteborough (1962, 1963)
  • 2 - Caesar B. Good (1967, 1968)
  • 2 - Knight's Turn (1979, 1980)
  • 2 - Pumpkin Rumble (2018, 2019)

Most wins by a jockey:

Most wins by a trainer:

Most wins by an owner:

Winners

More information Year, Winner ...

Other North American Marathon races

On dirt:

On turf:

See also


References

  1. "Valedictory Stakes Profile". equibase.com. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  2. "Pender Harbour Looks to Close Meet on High". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 5 December 2016.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Valedictory_Stakes, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.