Cradle Stakes
 |
| Ungraded Stakes race | |
| Location | Cincinnati, Ohio United States  |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1977 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+1⁄16 miles (8.5 furlongs) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Two-year-olds |
The Cradle Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds held annually at River Downs in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is currently an ungraded stakes race run over a distance of 8.5 furlongs on turf.
It was originally created as a dirt race for juveniles in 1977. Miller Genuine Draft sponsored the race from the beginning and, until 2009, it was the longest continuously sponsored Thoroughbred race in the United States. During the 1980s, the Cradle Stakes grew to become the richest race for 2-year-olds in Ohio. Two Horses of the Year, a Kentucky Derby winner, two Derby second-place finishers, and a number of graded stakes winners have graduated from the Cradle Stakes.
The 2000 edition was the deepest field ever to compete. The race produced three graded stakes winners and one of the best runners of this generation. The winner that year, Ohio-bred Harlan’s Holiday, was sent away as the favorite in the 2001 Kentucky Derby after back-to-back Grade 1 wins in the Florida Derby and Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. He also accounted for victories in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap and Grade 3 Pennsylvania Derby. He traveled to Dubai where he collected a $1.2 million check for the runner up spot in the World Cup. Pass Rush also came out of the 2000 “Cradle” as did Day Trader. Pass Rush won the Grade 2 San Fernando Breeders’ Cup and finished second in the 2003 Grade 2 Churchill Downs Handicap. Day Trader, from the D. Wayne Lukas stable, won the Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Sprint.
The Cradle Stakes was moved to the turf in 2007 to serve as a prep for the new $1-million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
Winners since 1991
- ‡ In 2009, the race was run off the turf.
Earlier winners
- 1990 - Wall Street Dancer
- 1989 - Table Limit
- 1988 - Bravoure
- 1987 - Cannon Dancer
- 1986 - Coaxing Chad
- 1985 - Go For It Matt
- 1984 - Spend A Buck
- 1983 - Coax Me Chad