Derby Trial Stakes
| Grade III race | |
| Location |
Churchill Downs Louisville, Kentucky, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1924 as the Derby Trial Stakes |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website |
www |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 mile |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | three-year-olds |
| Weight | Assigned |
| Purse | US$250,000 (2016) |
The Pat Day Mile Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the end of April at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. As the Derby Trial Stakes it was held one week before the Kentucky Derby, and first run in 1924 and every year since, with the exception of 1928. A Grade III stakes with a current purse of $200,000, it's open to three-year-olds willing to race one mile on the dirt, however its distance from 2007 to 2009 was 7.5 furlongs. The Derby Trial Stakes was an ungraded event from 2006 to 2008.[1]
Beginning in 2015, this race was renamed the Pat Day Mile Stakes (in honor of the Hall of Fame jockey, Pat Day) and held on the undercard of Kentucky Derby day. It's purse increased from $150,000 to $200,000.[2] From 2010 through 2012, it had been named the Cliff's Edge Derby Trial.[3] In 2016, the purse was raised to $250,000.
Several Kentucky Derby winners failed to win the Trial, but bounced back to win the "Run for the Roses." Most notable of those were Calumet Farm's Iron Liege, who finished fifth in the Trial and returned to defeat a Kentucky Derby field that included champions Gallant Man, Round Table and Bold Ruler and is generally considered to be the greatest field in Derby history. King Ranch's Assault finished fourth in the Trial, but returned to win the Derby and sweep the Triple Crown. In 1941, Triple Crown winner Whirlaway finished second in the Derby Trial, but returned to sweep the Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.
Winners of the Trial and Derby
Four trainers have won the Derby Trial and the Kentucky Derby with the same horse. The feat was accomplished by Hanley Webb in 1924 with Black Gold and by Ben A. Jones who did it twice, first with the great Citation in 1948 and then with Hill Gail in 1952. Eddie Hayward won both in 1953 with Dark Star and in 1958 Jimmy Jones, son of Ben, became the fourth and last to do it when he won the two races with Tim Tam.[4] Since Tim Tam, the gradual trend in training has been toward giving Derby contenders fewer prep races and more time between them. This practice has all but eliminated the Trial as a legitimate Derby prep race. Even the 1982 decision to move it from the Tuesday before the Derby to the Saturday before didn't help.
However, the three weeks between the Trial and the 1 3/16ths-mile Preakness in Baltimore is perfect. In recent years, the Trial has sent the Preakness such horses as Key to the Mint (1972), No More Flowers (1987), Houston (1989), Honor Grades (1991), Alydeed (1992), Cherokee Run (1993), Numerous (1994), Our Gatsby (1995), Black Cash (1998), Patience Game (1999), Sir Shackleton (2004), Flying First Class (2007), Macho Again (2008), and Pleasant Prince (2010).
Although none of those Trial horses won the Preakness, Alydeed, Cherokee Run and Macho Again finished second at Pimlico Race Course and Key to the Mint finished third. And two of trainer Woody Stephens' Trial winners Caveat in 1983 and Creme Fraiche in '85 went on to win the Belmont Stakes (GI). Additionally, the 2008 Belmont Stakes was won by Da'Tara, trained by Nick Zito, who finished in fifth place in the 2008 Derby Trial Stakes.
Calumet Farm had three horses that finished second in the Trial. In 1941, Whirlaway finished second to Blue Pair in the Trial, but then roared back to win the Triple Crown. In 1949, Ponder was second to Olympia in the Trial, but came back five days later to take the Derby by three lengths over Capot.
In 1957, Middleground finished second in the Trial to Black George on a muddy track, but won the Kentucky Derby later on a fast track.
And then there was the ill-fated Gen. Duke in 1957. He came to Churchill Downs touted as a potential superstar, but finished second to Federal Hill in the Trial. Then, the morning of the Derby, Gen. Duke was scratched because of a foot injury suffered in the Trial.
In 1967, Barb's Delight became the last Trial horse to have a significant impact on the Derby, finishing second by a length to longshot Proud Clarion. Don't Get Mad finished fourth in the Derby in 2005.
The last horse to win the Saturday before the Derby and then win the roses was Cannonade in 1974. But the race he won was the now-defunct 7f Stepping Stone Purse, not the Derby Trial.
In 2016, it will be in its 92nd year of running.
Records
- Speed record
- 1:28.45 - Macho Again (2008) (at distance of 7.5 furlongs)
- 1:34.18 - Competitive Edge (2015) (at distance of one mile)
- Most wins by a jockey
- 4 - Eddie Arcaro (1948, 1949, 1952, 1959)
- 4 - Pat Day (1987, 1991, 1993, 2000)
- Most wins by a trainer
- 5 - Ben A. Jones (1943, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1952)
- Most wins by an owner
- 7 - Calumet Farm (1943, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1952, 1956, 1958)
Winners of the Derby Trial Stakes
| Year |
Winner |
Jockey |
Trainer |
Owner |
Distance |
Time |
Purse |
Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Sharp Azteca | Edgard J. Zayas | Jorge Navarro | Gelfenstein Farm | 1 mile | 1:34.37 | $250,000 | III |
| 2015 | Competitive Edge | John R. Velazquez | Todd A. Pletcher | Favreau Psoinos/Tabor | 1 mile | 1:34.18 | $200,000 | III |
| 2014 | Embellishing Bob | Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. | Steve Margolis | Martin L. Cherry | 1 mile | 1:36.73 | $150,000 | III |
| 2013 | Forty Tales | Joel Rosario | Todd A. Pletcher | Perretti Racing Stable | 1 mile | 1:35.77 | $231,400 | III |
| 2012 | Hierro | Julien Leparoux | Steve Asmussen | Stonestreet Stables | 1 mile | 1:35.27 | $231,400 | III |
| 2011 | Machen | Edgar Prado | Neil Howard | Courtlandt Farm | 1 mile | 1:35.47 | $231,400 | III |
| 2010 | Hurricane Ike | Calvin Borel | John W. Sadler | Ike & Dawn Thrash | 1 mile | 1:36.35 | $200,000 | III |
| 2009 | Hull | Miguel Mena | Dale L. Romans | Heiligbrodt Racing Stable | 7.5 fur. | 1:30.21 | $112,000 | III |
| 2008 | Macho Again | Julien Leparoux | Dallas Stewart | West Point Thoroughbreds | 7.5 fur. | 1:28.45 | $115,200 | |
| 2007 | Flying First Class | Mark Guidry | D. Wayne Lukas | Ellwood W. Johnston | 7.5 fur. | 1:29.28 | $117,800 | |
| 2006 | Record | Rafael Bejarano | Bob Baffert | Sunset Stables | 1 mile | 1:36.32 | $114,939 | |
| 2005 | Don't Get Mad | Gary Stevens | Ronald W. Ellis | B. Wayne Hughes | 1 mile | 1:36.00 | $113,100 | |
| 2004 | Sir Shackleton | Rafael Bejarano | Nick Zito | Tracy Farmer | 1 mile | 1:37.61 | $110,800 | III |
| 2003 | Midas Eyes | Jerry Bailey | Robert J. Frankel | Edmund A. Gann | 1 mile | 1:36.22 | $167,400 | III |
| 2002 | Sky Terrace | Craig Perret | Vickie Foley | Vickie Foley/T. Thieneman | 1 mile | 1:36.87 | $112,800 | III |
| 2001 | Meetyouathebrig | Robby Albarado | W. Elliott Walden | Mansell Stable & James Stone | 1 mile | 1:36.22 | $117,000 | III |
| 2000 | Performing Magic | Pat Day | Alex Hassinger, Jr. | The Thoroughbred Corp. | 1 mile | 1:35.99 | $114,000 | III |
| 1999 | Patience Game | Corey Nakatani | Alex Hassinger, Jr. | The Thoroughbred Corp. | 1 mile | 1:37.86 | $118,626 | III |
| 1998 | Souvenir Copy | David Flores | Bob Baffert | John & Betty Mabee | 1 mile | 1:37.80 | $113,300 | III |
| 1997 | Richter Scale | Shane Sellers | Patrick B. Byrne | Richard Kaster | 1 mile | 1:36.00 | $116,870 | III |
| 1996 | Valid Expectations | Don Pettinger | Steve Asmussen | Robert & Leland Ackerley | 1 mile | 1:36.81 | $128,375 | III |
| 1995 | Peaks and Valleys | Julie Krone | James E. Day | Pin Oak Stable | 1 mile | 1:36.53 | $113,100 | III |
| 1994 | Numerous | Chris McCarron | Charlie Whittingham | Howard B. Keck | 1 mile | 1:37.34 | $111,600 | III |
| 1993 | Cherokee Run | Pat Day | Frank A. Alexander | Jill E. Robinson | 1 mile | 1:37.40 | $100,000 | III |
| 1992 | Alydeed | Craig Perret | Roger Attfield | Kinghaven Farms | 1 mile | 1:36.20 | $86,550 | III |
| 1991 | Alydavid | Pat Day | Philip M. Hauswald | David's Farm | 1 mile | 1:36.40 | $75,000 | III |
| 1990 | Housebuster | Craig Perret | Warren A. Croll, Jr. | Robert P. Levy | 1 mile | 1:37.60 | $75,000 | III |
| 1989 | Houston | Laffit Pincay, Jr. | D. Wayne Lukas | B. Beal / L.R. French / Lukas | 1 mile | 1:36.20 | $85,000 | III |
| 1988 | Jim's Orbit | Shane Romero | Clarence Picou | James Cottrell | 1 mile | 1:38.60 | $60,000 | III |
| 1987 | On The Line | Pat Day | D. Wayne Lukas | Eugene V. Klein | 1 mile | 1:36.60 | $65,000 | III |
| 1986 | Savings | Patrick Johnson | Gary Hartlage | Diana & Keith Wiseman | 1 mile | 1:35.60 | $65,000 | III |
| 1985 | Creme Fraiche | Randy Romero | Woody Stephens | Brushwood Stable | 1 mile | 1:37.60 | $65,000 | III |
| 1984 | Devil's Bag | Eddie Maple | Woody Stephens | Hickory Tree Stable | 1 mile | 1:35.60 | $60,000 | |
| 1983 | Caveat | Laffit Pincay, Jr. | Woody Stephens | August Belmont IV | 1 mile | 1:37.80 | $60,000 | |
| 1982 | Listcapade | Darrell Haire | Dewey Smith | Dorothy Dorsett Brown | 1 mile | 1:36.20 | $50,000 | |
| 1981 | What It Is | Julio Espinoza | Mark E. Casse | Norman E. Casse | 7 fur. | 1:24.60 | $30,000 | |
| 1980 | Royal Sporan | Don Brumfield | Don Jeffries | Dan Logan | 7 fur. | 1:25.60 | $25,000 | |
| 1979 | Dreamy Prospect | Richard DePass | Lyle Whiting | Edwin Whittaker | 7 fur. | 1:24.40 | $28,166 | |
| 1978 | Braze and Bold | Jim McKnight | Lyle Whiting | not found | 7 fur. | 1:25.40 | $20,000 | |
| 1977 | Kodiack | Rudy L. Turcotte | Harvey L. Vanier | Louis F. Aitken | 7 fur. | 1:25.20 | $20,000 | |
| 1976 | Justa Bad Boy | Bill Gavidia | Tony Basile | E. A. Dust | 1 mile | 1:38.00 | $20,000 | |
| 1975 | Round Stake | Michael Hole | H. Allen Jerkens | Hobeau Farm | 1 mile | 1:36.40 | $20,000 | |
| 1974 | Ga Hai | Mike Manganello | Gene Cleveland | Laguna Seca Ranch | 1 mile | 1:38.00 | $20,000 | |
| 1973 | Settecento | Larry Adams | Lefty Nickerson | Martin J. Wygod | 1 mile | 1:37.00 | $15,000 | |
| 1972 | Key to the Mint | Braulio Baeza | J. Elliott Burch | Rokeby Stables | 1 mile | 1:36.20 | $15,000 | |
| 1971 | Vegas Vic | Howard Grant | Randy Sechrest | Sechrest & Fritz | 1 mile | 1:37.00 | $20,000 | |
| 1970 | Admiral's Shield | Jimmy Nichols | Harvey L. Vanier | William C. Robinson, Jr. | 1 mile | 1:37.20 | $15,000 | |
| 1969 | Ack Ack | Manuel Ycaza | Frank A. Bonsal | Cain Hoy Stable | 1 mile | 1:34.40 | $15,000 | |
| 1968 | Proper Proof | Johnny Sellers | Jim Mosbacher | Mrs. Montgomery Fisher | 1 mile | 1:36.00 | $15,000 | |
| 1967 | Barbs Delight | Bill Hartack | Hal Steele | Huguelet, Jr. et al. | 1 mile | 1:35.40 | $15,000 | |
| 1966 | Exhibitionist | Eddie Belmonte | Hirsch Jacobs | Ethel D. Jacobs | 1 mile | 1:36.00 | $25,000 | |
| 1965 | Bold Lad | Bill Hartack | William C. Winfrey | Wheatley Stable | 1 mile | 1:35.20 | $17,500 | |
| 1964 | Hill Rise | Bill Shoemaker | William B. Finnegan | El Peco Ranch | 1 mile | 1:35.20 | $15,000 | |
| 1963 | Bonjour | Bill Shoemaker | Hirsch Jacobs | Patrice Jacobs | 1 mile | 1:36.40 | $15,000 | |
| 1962 | Roman Line | James Combest | Vester R. Wright | T. Alie Grissom | 1 mile | 1:37.20 | $15,000 | |
| 1961 | Crozier | Braulio Baeza | Charles R. Parke | Fred W. Hooper | 1 mile | 1:34.60 | $15,000 | |
| 1960 | Beau Purple | Eric Guerin | George P. Odom | Jack Dreyfus, Jr. | 1 mile | 1:35.60 | $15,000 | |
| 1959 | Open View (1st) | Karl Korte | Ray Metcalf | Elkcam Stable | 1 mile | 1:35.60 | $15,000 | |
| 1959 | First Landing (2nd) | Eddie Arcaro | Casey Hayes | Meadow Stable | 1 mile | 1:36.20 | $15,000 | |
| 1958 | Tim Tam | Ismael Valenzuela | Horace A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 1 mile | 1:39.20 | $15,000 | |
| 1957 | Federal Hill | Willie Carstens | Milton Rieser | Clifford Lussky | 1 mile | 1:36.20 | $15,000 | |
| 1956 | Fabius | Bill Hartack | Horace A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 1 mile | 1:36.60 | $15,000 | |
| 1955 | Flying Fury | Conn McCreary | Loyd Gentry, Jr. | Cain Hoy Stable | 1 mile | 1:38.00 | $15,000 | |
| 1954 | Hasty Road | John H. Adams | Harry Trotsek | Hasty House Farm | 1 mile | 1:35.00 | $15,000 | |
| 1953 | Dark Star | Henry E. Moreno | Eddie Hayward | Cain Hoy Stable | 1 mile | 1:36.00 | $15,000 | |
| 1952 | Hill Gail | Eddie Arcaro | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 1 mile | 1:35.40 | $15,000 | |
| 1951 | Fanfare | Douglas Dodson | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 1 mile | 1:36.60 | $15,000 | |
| 1950 | Black George | Eric Nelson | Raymond Barnett | William H. Veeneman | 1 mile | 1:38.00 | $10,000 | |
| 1949 | Olympia | Eddie Arcaro | Ivan H. Parke | Fred W. Hooper | 1 mile | 1:37.40 | $12,500 | |
| 1948 | Citation | Eddie Arcaro | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 1 mile | 1:37.40 | $10,000 | |
| 1947 | Faultless | Douglas Dodson | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 1 mile | 1:37.60 | $10,000 | |
| 1946 | Rippey | Ferrill Zufelt | Edward L. Snyder | William G. Helis | 1 mile | 1:40.20 | $10,000 | |
| 1945 | Burning Dream | Douglas Dodson | James W. Smith | Edward R. Bradley | 1 mile | 1:38.20 | $5,000 | |
| 1944 | Broadcloth | Ferrill Zufelt | Charles T. Leavitt | Mrs. George Poulsen | 1 mile | 1:37.20 | $4,500 | |
| 1943 | Ocean Wave | Wendell Eads | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 1 mile | 1:38.20 | $2,500 | |
| 1942 | Valdina Orphan | Carroll Bierman | Frank Catrone | Valdina Farms | 1 mile | 1:36.80 | $2,500 | |
| 1941 | Blue Pair | Harry Richards | Willie Crump | Vera S. Bragg | 1 mile | 1:36.60 | $2,500 | |
| 1940 | Bimelech | Fred A. Smith | William A. Hurley | Edward R. Bradley | 1 mile | 1:38.00 | $2,500 | |
| 1939 | Viscounty | Carroll Bierman | John J. Flanigan | Valdina Farms | 1 mile | 1:38.40 | $2,500 | |
| 1938 | The Chief | George Woolf | Earl Sande | Col. Maxwell Howard | 1 mile | 1:35.80 | $2,500 | |
| 1937 | Dellor | Basil James | John Milton Goode | James W. Parrish | 1 mile | 1:38.20 | $1,500 | |
| 1936 | He Did | Charley Kurtsinger | J. Thomas Taylor | Mrs. Silas B. Mason | 1 mile | 1:37.40 | $1,100 | |
| 1935 | Whiskolo | Willie Garner | Robert McGarvey | Milky Way Farms | 1 mile | 1:37.80 | $1,100 | |
| 1934 | Peace Chance | Wayne Wright | Pete Coyne | Joseph E. Widener | 1 mile | 1:35.80 | $800 | |
| 1933 | Head Play | Herb W. Fisher | Willie Crump | Mrs. Willie Crump | 1 mile | 1:39.40 | $800 | |
| 1932 | Adobe Post | Charles Landolt | C. E. Gross | Knebelkamp & Morris | 1 mile | 1:38.80 | $1,200 | |
| 1931 | Boys Howdy | Gilbert Riley | Loyd Gentry, Sr. | Harry C. Hatch | 1 mile | 1:38.20 | $2,000 | |
| 1930 | Uncle Luther | Robert Creese | Robert L. Stivers | Luther Stivers | 1 mile | 1:41.80 | $1,500 | |
| 1929 | Windy City | E. Pool | Mose Lowenstein | Fred Grabner | 1 mile | 1:42.20 | $1,500 | |
| 1928 | No Race | No Race | No Race | No Race | no race | 0:00.00 | ||
| 1927 | Rolled Stocking | Willie Pool | Charles C. Van Meter | James W. Parrish | 1 mile | 1:38.60 | $1,500 | |
| 1926 | Rhinock | Mack Garner | William D. Covington | Mrs. George B. Cox | 1 mile | 1:39.00 | $2,000 | |
| 1925 | Kentucky Cardinal | Mack Garner | Mose F. Shapoff | G. Frank Croissant | 1 mile | 1:38.80 | $2,000 | |
| 1924 | Black Gold | J. D. Mooney | Hanley Webb | Rosa L. Hoots | 1 mile | 1:37.80 | $2,000 | |