E. P. Taylor Stakes
| Grade I race | |
| Location | Woodbine Racetrack, Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1956 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | Woodbine Racetrack |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+1⁄4 miles (10 furlongs) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds and up |
| Weight | Scale weight |
| Purse | $387,150 |
The E. P. Taylor Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares held annually since 1956 in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario run on the E. P. Taylor turf course at a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles.
Part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, the winner of the 2008 E. P. Taylor Stakes automatically qualifies for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.[1]
Originally run as the Nettie Handicap, the race was renamed in 1981 to honor the late Edward Plunket Taylor, President of the Ontario Jockey Club from 1953 to 1973 and a founder of the Jockey Club of Canada. An inductee of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, E. P. Taylor owned Windfields Farm, Canada's most successful horse breeding operation.
The $1 million (now reduced to $387,150) E. P. Taylor Stakes is a Grade I event and draws horses from across North America as well as Europe. It is raced as a companion event to the Canadian International Stakes and can be a final stepping stone for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf depending on the time frame between the running of the two races.
Distances
Over the years, the race has been competed at various distances:
- 1956–1961 – 1+1⁄16 miles on dirt at Greenwood Raceway
- 1962–1963 – 1+1⁄16 miles on dirt at Woodbine Racetrack
- 1964–1967 – 1+1⁄8 miles on dirt at Woodbine Racetrack
- 1968 to date – 1+1⁄4 miles on turf at Woodbine Racetrack
Records
Time record: (at current 1+1⁄4 miles distance on turf)
- 2:00.68 – Mrs. Lindsay (2007)
Most wins:
- 2 – Kitty Girl (1957, 1958)
Most wins by an owner:
- 3 – Gardiner Farm (1968, 1969, 1970)
Most wins by a jockey:
- 3 – Sandy Hawley (1976, 1978, 1982)
Most wins by a trainer:
- 3 – Lou Cavalaris, Jr. (1968, 1969, 1970)