The
San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap is an
American
invitational
handicap Thoroughbred horse
race run annually on turf at Santa Anita
Park
in Arcadia, California
. It is
North
America's longest
graded stakes
race. Open to horses age four and older, the Grade II event
currently offers a purse of $250,000. Run during the second half of
April as the traditional closing-day feature at Santa Anita Park,
at about 1¾ miles it is the longest grass race in America. Since
1965 it has been an invitational handicap.
Inaugurated in 1935, for 1940 only it was limited to
three-year-olds and for three-year-olds and older in all other
years prior to 1968. From its inception through 1953, the race was
contested on dirt, then in 1954 it was converted to a
turf event. Over the years, it has been run at various
distances:
- 1⅛ miles : 1935-1939
- 11/16 miles :
1940
- 1½ miles : 1939, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1949, 1954
- 1 ¾ miles : 1950-1953, 1955-present
In 1964, the San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap was run in
two divisions.
With the increasing emphasis on speed horses bred to compete in the
Kentucky Derby and
Breeders' Cup Classic distance of 1¼
miles on dirt, during the last two decades longer races run on
grass or dirt in
North America have
been in decline. Once a Grade I event, the about 1¾ miles San Juan
Capistrano Invitational Handicap now holds a Grade II
classification.
Since 2007, the winner of the San Juan
Capistrano has received ballot free entry into Australia's greatest
horse race and the staying championship of the world, the Melbourne Cup
. As of 2008, no San Juan Capistrano winner has
made the trip to Flemington
for the Melbourne Cup.
At age eight, Niarkos (1968) and Mashkour (1991) are the oldest
horses to win the event.
The March 11, 1966 edition of the San Juan Capistrano Invitational
Handicap was seen by 60,792 fans, the largest crowd of the season,
who turned out to say farewell to retiring
U.S. Racing Hall of
Fame jockey Johnny Longden. Fittingly, without ever using
the
whip as he always did, Longden
guided
George Royal from fifteen
lengths back in last place to a thrilling photo-finish win.
[265748]
Records
Speed record:
Most wins:
Most wins by a jockey:
Most wins by a trainer:
- 14 - Charles Whittingham
(1957, 1959, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985,
1986, 1987, 1989)
Most wins by an owner:
Winners
Other North American Marathon races
On dirt:
On turf:
References
Wikis
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