The Falls City Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of November at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky . A Grade II event, the race is open to fillies and mares , age three and up, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. It was run in two divisions in 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1982 and 1985.
23-592: When the graded stakes race system was implemented in the United States in 1973, the Falls City Handicap was awarded Grade 3 status. Reviewed annually, in 2002 it was upgraded to a Grade 2 level. Most wins Most wins by a jockey Most wins by a trainer Most wins by an owner Graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets
46-646: A Grade II race, unless the committee feels the quality of the race was sufficient to warrant Grade I. In the United States and Canada, a graded race can be dormant for one year without losing its grade. The following races have been downgraded from Grade I status since 2010: The Donn Handicap was discontinued after its 2016 edition; its Grade I status was transferred to the Pegasus World Cup , which held its first edition in 2017 The following races have been upgraded to Grade I status since 2010: Pegasus World Cup The Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes
69-613: A Greek mythical horse, a 110-foot statue of which stands at Gulfstream Park. The Pegasus has been described as "Florida's Greatest Horse Race" by Maxim magazine. Frank Stronach first proposed the idea for the race during the Thoroughbred Owners Conference at Gulfstream in January 2016. His original proposal called for an annual 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 -mile (10 furlong) race to be run at either Gulfstream or Santa Anita Park in mid to late January, which would not interfere with
92-409: A level in 2013. The American Graded Stakes Committee grades only races that: In 2008, the committee began requiring that toe grabs on the horseshoe , designed to improve traction, be no longer than 2 millimeters. This was in response to studies by Susan Stover showing that such toe grabs substantially increase the risk of catastrophic racing injuries. Recently, racing officials have also banned
115-419: A number of years. For graded turf races, track conditions (normally excessive rain) may sometimes force the race to be run on the main (dirt) track. If this happens, the race is automatically downgraded by one grade level for that running only. The Committee then reviews the race within five days and may restore the original grade. For example, a Grade I turf race that is switched to the dirt will be recorded as
138-405: A purse of at least $ 300,000, but not all races with such high purses are Grade I. For example, a racetrack may offer a high purse to attract better fields so the race will be upgraded in future years. The grade level is assigned by looking at data that indicates quality of the field for the last five years. In order to achieve or maintain a Grade I, it is necessary to attract a competitive field over
161-536: A three-pound allowance for fillies and mares. Between 2017 and 2019, horses that ran without the use of the pre-race medication furosemide (more commonly known as Lasix) received an allowance of five pounds. Starting in 2020, the use of all race-day medications, including Lasix, is prohibited, which the Stronach Group heralded as a "new era" in North American thoroughbred racing. The race is named for Pegasus ,
184-588: Is an American Thoroughbred horse race whose first running was on January 28, 2017 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida . It is run over the dirt at the distance of 1 + 1 ⁄ 8 miles (9 furlongs) and is open to horses four years old and up. The Grade I rating was assumed from the Donn Handicap . With a purse of $ 12 million for its inaugural running, the Pegasus World Cup surpassed
207-514: Is available as bonus money should an owner win both races. The entry fee was reduced to $ 500,000, with 24 entries available — 12 in each of the dirt and turf races. In 2019, the Stronach Group partnered with Xpressbet to host Pegasus World Cup Betting Championship with the total prize of $ 435,000. The fourth Pegasus World Cup, to be run on 25 January 2020, will carry a purse of $ 3 million and require that horses be free of all race-day medications. There will no longer be entry or starting fees, as
230-508: Is the official supplier of racing information and statistics to America's Best Racing , Breeders' Cup , Daily Racing Form , NTRA , The Jockey Club , TRA, TVG , and Xpressbet . A notable exception to the change in format being the three New York Racing Association tracks. Fasig-Tipto began including grading information in 1975, Keeneland Association in 1976, and Daily Racing Form in 1978. In 1998, Canada began to grade Canadian races independently. Listed stakes were first added as
253-654: The Breeders' Cup or the Dubai World Cup . The timing also makes it possible for a horse to run one last race before retiring to stud, as the North American breeding season begins in mid-February. "I think racing usually has a little lull this time of year – we have to wait for spring for something to happen", said trainer Bob Baffert in January 2017. "When I heard about the idea last year, I thought wow, American Pharoah probably would have been in there for one more try at it." The Stronach Group officially announced plans for
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#1733084881692276-425: The Dubai World Cup as the richest horse race in the world for the year 2017 & 2018. The purse of the event rose to $ 16 million in 2018, but dropped to $ 9 million in 2019. The fourth running of the Pegasus World Cup in 2020 carried a $ 3 million purse. The entry fee structure has also changed over time, from $ 1 million in 2017 and 2018, to $ 500,000 in 2019 to free in 2020. Horses carry 124 pounds (56 kg) with
299-502: The 12 starting positions and an additional $ 4 million contributed by the Stronach Group. With the addition of a race on turf, the total prize money for the 2019 event was increased to $ 17 million. The purse for the original dirt race was reduced to $ 9 million, with the other $ 7 million in purse money was allocated to the new Pegasus World Cup Turf race (formerly the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap ), and another $ 1 million
322-729: The criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is then assigned to the race, based on statistical analysis of the quality of the field in previous years, provided the race meets the minimum purse criteria for the grade in question. In Canada, a similar grading system is maintained by the Jockey Club of Canada . Graded stakes races are similar to Group races in Europe but
345-524: The discontinued Donn Handicap . There are four grade levels, from Listed at the bottom to Grade I at the top. The latter are higher-class races for bigger prizes for horses of the same age group (2, 3 or 3 and up) and may further be restricted by sex. The weight conditions of the races may vary provided they meet the committee's standards to ensure competitiveness. Many grade I races are " weight-for-age ", with weights adjusted only according to age and sex, and also there are "set weights" where all horses carry
368-457: The grading is more dynamic in North America. A high grading can also be used by racetracks to promote the race in question. When determining Eclipse Award winners, racing journalists will consider the number and grade of a horse's stakes wins during the year. In general, stakes race refers to the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay, which generally forms part of the prize money offered to
391-435: The net income from the race. Each shareholder was permitted to pre-enter two horses. A pre-entered horse that did not draw into the Pegasus World Cup was eligible to compete in the newly created Poseidon Stakes , which was run under similar conditions but offered a $ 400,000 purse and required a $ 20,000 entry fee. The second Pegasus World Cup in 2018 was contested for a higher purse of $ 16 million, with $ 1 million from each of
414-481: The race in May 2016, with the distance shortened to 1 + 1 ⁄ 8 miles (9 furlongs). Under the original format, 12 shareholders each paid $ 1 million to purchase a position in the gate for a then unspecified horse. The shareholder then had the right to race, lease, contract or share a starter, or sell their place in the gate, and had the first right of refusal for subsequent races. Shareholders also had an equal share in
437-515: The racetrack) may be eligible for grading if they meet the quality standards. European authorities implemented the Pattern race system in 1972 and requested that North America implement a similar method, leading to the development of the graded stakes system by TOBA in 1973. The first list of North American Graded Stakes was published in 1974. The original purpose of grading was to identify the most competitive races, which helps horsemen make comparisons of
460-680: The relative quality of bloodstock for breeding and sales purposes. When the race-grading program was being set up for its 1973 introduction by the American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association it was done so as to match the data formatting in use by the British system being Grade I, Grade II, Grade III. However, the advent of the Internet meant that format would eventually be mostly abandoned in favor of G1, G2, G3. Used by TOBA itself, and most significantly by Equibase Company LLC that
483-440: The same weight (usually applicable when all horses are of the same age and sex). Furthermore, there are "conditions" races, in which horses carry weights that are set by conditions, such as having won a certain number of races, or races of a certain value. Finally, some graded stakes are " handicaps ", in which an official handicapper assigns weights to each horse in an attempt to equalize the competition. All Grade I races must have
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#1733084881692506-591: The top finishers. Not all stakes races are eligible for grading. Notably, races that are restricted to horses bred in a specific state (e.g., the Tiznow Stakes for California-breds) or country (e.g., the races that make up the Canadian Triple Crown , all restricted to Canadian-breds) are excluded, regardless of the purse or quality of field. Conversely, some races that are not technically stakes races (usually invitational races where entry fees are not required by
529-399: The use of furosemide (Lasix) in all Black Type races, which include graded and listed stakes races. A newly established race may inherit the graded status of a discontinued race if it is held at the same facility under essentially identical conditions as the discontinued race. For example, the inaugural running of the Pegasus World Cup in January 2017 was Grade I, inheriting the status of
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