Garden State Stakes
Defunct horse race | |
Location | Garden State Park Racetrack Cherry Hill, New Jersey ![]() |
---|---|
Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
Race information | |
Distance | various |
Surface | Dirt and Turf |
Track | left-handed |
Qualification | Two-years-old |
The Garden State Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid November at the now defunct Garden State Park Racetrack in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. A futurity event for two-year-olds, it is sometimes referred to as the Garden State Futurity. By 1956, the total purse offered was more than $300,000 (including all nomination and starting fees), making it the richest horse race in the world.[1]
The race was contested on dirt until 1994 when it was changed to a race on turf. It was raced at various distances:
- On dirt:
- Inception - 1952: 6 furlongs on dirt
- 1953 - 1972, 1993: 1+1⁄16 miles on dirt
- 1985 - 1992: 1+1⁄8 miles on dirt
- 1998 : 1 mile on dirt (1998 race switched from turf due to heavy rains)
- On turf:
- 1994-1995 : 1+1⁄16 miles on turf
- 1996-1997, 1999 : 1 mile on turf
In 1955, the racetrack created a counterpart for fillies called the Gardenia Stakes.[2]
The Garden State Stakes was placed on hiatus in 1973 and after a fire destroyed the racetrack on April 14, 1977[3] it would not be run again until a new track was built by International Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. through its wholly owned subsidiary, Garden State Race Track, Inc. headed by Robert E. Brennan that opened on April 1, 1985.[4] The March 18, 2000 issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Garden State Stakes had been cancelled for financial reasons.[5]