United Nations Stakes
| Location | Monmouth Park Racetrack Oceanport, New Jersey, USA |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1953 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | Monmouth Park Racetrack |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1⅜ miles (11 furlongs) |
| Track | Grass, left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds & up |
| Weight | Handicap |
| Purse | $750,000 |
The United Nations Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in July at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey. The race is open to horses, age three and up, going one and three-eighths miles on the turf. A Grade I event, it currently offers a purse of $750,000. Until 2007, it was known as the United Nations Handicap.
Part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, the winner of the 2008 United Nations Stakes automatically qualified for the Breeders' Cup Turf. [1]
Founded in 1953 at the Atlantic City Race Course in Mays Landing, New Jersey, the race was set at a distance of 1 3/16 miles until 1999 when it was changed to 1 3/8 miles. The first edition was won in track record time by the Chilean bred, Iceberg II, who was trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Horatio Luro and ridden by Jorge Contreras.
From 1990 through 1997, it was known as the Caesars International. No race was held in 1998 and in 1999, it was shifted to Monmouth Park. In 2010, it will be in its 57th running.
[edit] Records
Time record:
- 1 3/8 miles - 2:10.97 : Presious Passion (2009) (Monmouth track record at this distance)
- 1 3/16 miles - 1:52.00 : Steinlen (1990)
Most wins:
- 2 - Round Table (1957, 1959)
- 2 - Mongo (1962, 1963)
- 2 - Noble Dancer (1978, 1979)
- 2 - Manila (1986, 1987)
- 2 - Sandpit (1995, 1996)
- 2 - English Channel (2006, 2007)
- 2 - Presious Passion (2008, 2009)
Most wins by a jockey
- 4 - Jorge Velasquez (1969, 1970, 1973, 1974)
- 4 - Jose A. Santos (1986, 1988, 1990, 1993)
Most wins by a trainer:
- 6 - MacKenzie Miller (1966, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1981, 1984)
Most wins by an owner:
- 4 - Rokeby Stables (1970, 1971, 1981, 1984)
[edit] Winners
* With Anticipation finished first in 2001 but was disqualified following a Stewards' Inquiry. The horse came back to win the race in 2002 in track record time.
