Dixie Stakes

Grade II race
Dixie Stakes
Location	Pimlico Race Course Baltimore, Maryland,
Inaugurated	1870
Race type	Thoroughbred - Flat racing
Website	www.pimlico.com
Race information
Distance	1⅛ miles (9 furlongs)
Track	Grass, left-handed
Qualification	Three-years-old & up
Weight	Assigned
Purse	$250,000

The Dixie Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Frequently referred to as the Dixie Handicap, it is the eighth oldest graded stakes race in the United States and the oldest stakes race in Maryland and all of the Mid-Atlantic states. The race is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the turf. Currently a Grade II stakes race with a purse of $250,000, at one time the Dixie was a very important race that drew the top horses from across North America.

First run as the "Dinner Party Stakes" when Pimlico Race Course opened in 1870, it was named for the 1868 dinner party in Saratoga, New York where Maryland Governor Oden Bowie and others met and wagered, resulting in the building of the Pimlico race course for thoroughbred race horses.^[1]

The inaugural event was won by Preakness for whom the Preakness Stakes would be named. In 1871 it was called the Reunion Stakes and was won in a walkover by Harry Bassett. Suspended in 1888, in 1924, William P. Riggs, Maryland Jockey Club secretary, revived the Dixie Stakes.

Champions of many eras are among The Dixie's winners. Ten winners or runner-ups have won the Eclipse Award or Champion the latest being Paradise Creek in 1994. Other Dixie Stakes Champions were Sky Classic (1992), Bowl Game (1978), Fort Marcy (1970), Turbo Jet II (1964), Assault (1947), Armed (1946), Whirlaway (1942), Sarazen (1925) and Tom Ochiltree (1875)..^[2]

Run for many years as the Dixie Handicap, in 1965 it was raced i8n two divisions at a mile and a half. Or et Argent won the first division in a course record time of 2:30.20. A few minutes later, Flag won the second division, smashing Or et Argent's record with a clocking of 2:29.00.

Records

Most wins:

• 2 - Sarazen (1925, 1926)

Speed record:

• 1-1/8 mile : 1:46.34 - Mr. O'Brien (2004)
• 1-1/2 miles : 2:27.80 - Nassipour (1985)

Most wins by an owner:

• 3 - Sam-Son Farm (1992, 2000 & 2002)

Most wins by a jockey:

• 4 - Pat Day (1991, 1992, 1994 & 1999)
• 4 - Ramon Dominguez (2003, 2004, 2006 & 2007)
• 4 - Vincent Bracciale, Jr. (1973, 1976, 1983 & 1985)

Most wins by a trainer:

• 3 - William I. Mott (1994, 1998 & 2001)

Winners of the Dixie Stakes since 1959

A # designates that the race was run in two divisions in 1965.
** In 1971 Fort Marcy finished first but was disqualified and placed fourth.

Earlier winners

See also

• Dixie Stakes top three finishers
• Preakness Stakes
• Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
• Pimlico Race Course
• List of graded stakes at Pimlico Race Course

Laurel Parks's Dixie Handicap

From 1915 through 1918, Laurel Park Racecourse hosted a Dixie Handicap. The winners were:

• 1918 - Cudgel
• 1917 - Ticket
• 1916 - Short Grass
• 1915 - The Finn

References

• The 2008 Dixie Stakes at the NTRA
• October 24, 1877 New York Times report on the Dixie Stakes with list of past winners