The Breeders' Stakes is the third and final leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, which is preceded by the Queen's Plate and the Prince Of Wales Stakes. Hosted every August at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto Ontario, the Breeders' Stakes concludes one of the most widely followed series of fixtures on the Canadian racing calendar.
Hosted at Woodbine Racecourse, this event extends a mile and four furlongs on a left-handed, turf track. Like most other Triple Crown events worldwide, it is open to horses three years of age. A weight requirement of 9-0 stones (males) or 8st-9lbs (females) applies.
location: Woodbine Racecourse
grade: Restricted
race type: Flat
While the Canadian Triple Crown wasn't introduced until 1959, the Breeders' Stakes were inaugurated in 1889. It was a popular event for three-year-old thoroughbreds as a stand-alone race, but the popularity of the Breeders' Stakes increased enormously after the creation of the Canadian Triple Crown.
Today, it's one of the best-attended events of the Canadian horse racing season. With a purse of C$500,000, a Breeders' Stakes win is worth the same as the Prince Of Wales Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, and is half as valuable as the Queen's Plate, which is the first race of the series.
The following are records for the Breeders' Stakes (as of 2017) .
The current track record was set by 1995's Charlie's Dewan (2m: 26.25sec).
Jockeys Sandy Hawley, Patrick Husbands and Robin Platts rode a record four winners each.
Roger Attfield trained nine champions between 1986 and 2015.
This race has served as the final leg of the Canadian Triple Crown since 1959. In that time, seven have won all three races including New Providence (1959), Canebora (1963), With Approval (1989), Izvestia (1990), Dance Smartly (1991), Peteski (1993) and Wando (2003). Prior to the official establishment of the Triple Crown, Queensway (1932), Archworth (1939), Uttermost (1945), Ace Marine (1955), and Canadian Champ (1956) completed the series and have been officially recognized by the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
The Breeders' Stakes has a reputation for ending the Triple Crown dreams of contenders. Run on an often treacherous grass track, the Breeders' Stakes have stopped many potential champions from achieving hat-trick glory (as of 2017) .
1970s hopeful Almoner lost to Mary Of Scotland in the Breeders' Stakes.
L'Enjoleur met his match in Momigi in 1975.
In 1976 wannabe champion Norcliffe suffered a horrendous defeat at the hands of Tiny Tinker.
Golden Choice almost made it in 1986 but was overtaken by Carotene.
2000 saw Scatter The Gold robbed of Triple Crown Glory by Lodge Hill.
Of course, when a horse does achieve victory in the Triple Crown, it makes for one of the best moments in Breeders' Stakes history. The most recent to have done so is Wando (2003).
