Kelso Stakes
The Kelso Stakes, previously held as the Forbidden Apple Stakes, is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four years old and older held over a distance of one mile (8 furlongs) on the turf held annually in mid-July at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Grade III race | |
Location | Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Springs, New York, United States |
---|---|
Inaugurated | 2014 (as Forbidden Apple Stakes at Belmont Park) |
Website | NYRA |
Race information | |
Distance | 1 mile (8 furlongs) |
Surface | Turf |
Track | Left-handed |
Qualification | Four-year-olds and older |
Weight | 124 lbs with allowances |
Purse | US$175,000 (since 2022) |
History
The inaugural event was named in honor of Forbidden Apple[1] who won the 2001 Grade I Manhattan Handicap and won the Grade II Kelso Handicap twice.
The event's inaugural running was on Independence Day in 2014 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York as the seventh race on the ten race holiday card and was won by Shadwell Stable's Sayaad who defeated the favorite Kharafa in a five horse field by 2+1⁄4 lengths in a time of 1:38.27 on a soft yielding turf track.[2]
From 2014 until 2018 the event was held at Belmont Park.[3]
In 2019 the event was moved to Saratoga.[3] That same year the event was classified as Grade III by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.[4]
In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, NYRA did not schedule the event in their Saratoga summer meeting. [5]
In 2023 NYRA announced that the event would be renamed to the Kelso Stakes.[6] The event was renamed in honor of Kelso, Allaire du Pont's five-time winner of American Horse of the Year honors. Kelso won the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park five times (1960–1964) consecutively at the then distance of 2 miles on the dirt.
Records
Speed record:
- 1:31.67 – Voodoo Song (2018)
Margins:
- 3+1⁄4 lengths – Disco Partner (2017)
Most wins:
- 2 – King Kreesa (2015, 2016)
Most wins by an owner:
- 2 – Gerald & Susan Kresa (2015, 2016)
Most wins by a jockey:
- 2 – José L. Ortiz (2014, 2017)
- 2 – Irad Ortiz Jr. (2015, 2016)
- 2 – Luis Saez (2021, 2023)
Most wins by a trainer:
- 2 – David G. Donk: (2015, 2016)
- 2 – Christophe Clement: (2017, 2022)
Winners
Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Distance | Time | Purse | Grade | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
At Saratoga – Kelso Stakes | ||||||||||
2023 | Casa Creed | 7 | Luis Saez | William I. Mott | LRE Racing, JEH Racing Stable | 1 mile | 1:35.51 | $175,000 | III | [7] |
Forbidden Apple Stakes | ||||||||||
2022 | City Man | 5 | Joel Rosario | Christophe Clement | Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Peter Searles, & Patty Searles | 1 mile | 1:33.76 | $175,000 | III | [8] |
2021 | Rinaldi | 5 | Luis Saez | H. James Bond | Bond Racing Stable | 1 mile | 1:35.70 | $150,000 | III | [9] |
2020 | Race not held | |||||||||
2019 | Mr. Havercamp (CAN) | 5 | Junior Alvarado | Catherine Day Phillps | Sean & Dorothy Fitzhenry | 1 mile | 1:37.50 | $150,000 | III | [10] |
At Belmont Park | ||||||||||
2018 | Voodoo Song | 4 | Manuel Franco | Linda L. Rice | Barry K. Schwartz | 1 mile | 1:31.67 | $150,000 | Listed | [11] |
2017 | Disco Partner | 5 | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Christophe Clement | Patricia A. Generazio | 1 mile | 1:33.49 | $150,000 | Listed | [12] |
2016 | King Kreesa | 7 | Irad Ortiz Jr. | David G. Donk | Gerald & Susan Kresa | 1 mile | 1:33.06 | $150,000 | Listed | [13] |
2015 | King Kreesa | 6 | Jose L. Ortiz | David G. Donk | Gerald & Susan Kresa | 1 mile | 1:32.34 | $147,000 | Listed | [14] |
2014 | Sayaad | 4 | Jose L. Ortiz | Kiaran P. McLaughlin | Shadwell Stable | 1 mile | 1:38.27 | $144,000 | [2] |
References
- "Forbidden Apple (USA) dkb/br. H, 1995 - 31 Starts, 8 Wins, 6 Places, 9 Shows Career Earnings: $1,680,640". Thoroughbred Pedigree Online. 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- "2014 Forbidden Apple Stakes Black Type - (race 7)". Equibase. 4 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- "Forbidden Apple Stakes (Gr. 3)". equibase. 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- "FORBIDDEN APPLE STAKES - MULTIPLE TRACKS". Thoroughbred Pedigree Online. 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- Ehalt, Bob (19 June 2020). "Saratoga Stakes Schedule Released, Travers Now Aug. 8". BloodHorse. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- "2023 Saratoga Summer Meet Stakes Schedule Released The 40-day summer meet will open July 13 and continue through Sept. 4". Bloodhorse.com. NYRA. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
- "2023 Kelso Stakes Grade 3 - (race 9)" (PDF). Equibase. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- "2022 Forbidden Apple Stakes Grade 3 - (race 9)". Equibase. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- "2021 Forbidden Apple Stakes Grade 3 - (race 9)". Equibase. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- "2019 Forbidden Apple Stakes Grade 3 - (race 9)". Equibase. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- "2018 Forbidden Apple Stakes Listed - (race 9)". Equibase. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- "2017 Forbidden Apple Stakes Listed - (race 8)". Equibase. 15 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- "2016 Forbidden Apple Stakes Listed - (race 8)". Equibase. 16 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- "2015 Forbidden Apple Stakes Listed - (race 9)". Equibase. 11 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2021.