Red Smith Stakes
| Grade III race | |
| Location | Aqueduct Racetrack Queens, New York, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1960 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | Aqueduct Racetrack at the NYRA |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+3⁄8 miles (11 furlongs) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds & up |
| Weight | Assigned |
| Purse | $200,000 (2016) |
The Red Smith Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A race on turf open to horses age three and older, it is run in the first week of November over a distance of 1+3⁄8 miles (11 furlongs).
Inaugurated in 1960, it was run as the Edgemere Handicap until 1981. Previously, there had been a race on dirt known as the Edgemere Handicap which was contested at a distance of a mile and one furlong. It was last run in 1957.
This turf race was renamed the Red Smith Handicap in honor of the late Walter "Red" Smith, an honored and respected sports columnist for over 45 years who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1976.
Since inception, the Red Smith Handicap has been run at various distances:
- 1+3⁄8 miles : 1960-1962, 1968–1971, 1994–2005, 2007 to present
- 1+3⁄16 miles : 1963 to 1967
- 1+1⁄16 miles : 1977
- 1+1⁄4 miles : 1972 to 1976, 1978–1993, 2006
Hosted by:
- Belmont Park : 1960-1962, 1968–1993
- Aqueduct Racetrack : 1963-1967, 1994 to present
The Red Smith Handicap was raced on dirt in 1984 and 1997 and run in two divisions in 1977, 1983, and 1986. There was no race in 1979.
Records
Speed record: (at current distance of 1+3⁄8 miles)
- 2:00.20 - Yankee Affair (1990)
- 2:00.20 - Montserrat (1992)
Most wins:
- 2 - Boisterous (2011, 2012)
- 2 - Drumtop (1970, 1971)
Most wins by an owner:
- 3 - Phipps Stable (2011, 2012. 2013)
Most wins by a jockey:
- 5 - Angel Cordero Jr. (1969, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1985)
Most wins by a trainer:
- 3 - MacKenzie Miller (1973, 1984, 1991)
- 3 - David A. Whiteley (1978, 1979, 1982)
- 3 - Robert J. Frankel (1985, 1988, 2005)
- 3 - Patrick J. Kelly (1999, 2002, 2006)
- 3 - Claude R. McGaughey III (2011, 2012, 2013)