Yellow Ribbon Stakes

Grade I race
Yellow Ribbon Stakes
Location Santa Anita Park
Arcadia, California
Inaugurated 1977
Race type Thoroughbred - Flat racing
Website www.santaanita.com
Race information
Distance 1¼ miles (10 furlongs)
Track Grass, left-handed
Qualification Fillies & Mares, Three-years-old & Up
Weight Scale Weight
Purse $400,000

The Yellow Ribbon Stakes is a Grade I race for thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three-years-old and upwards. It is raced during the Oak Tree Racing Association meeting at Santa Anita Park in late September / early October. It is a major prep race for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf and is contested over a distance of 1¼ miles (2,000 metres) on the turf. The current purse is $400,000.

Part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, the winner of the 2008 Yellow Ribbon Stakes automatically qualifies for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. [1]

Inaugurated in 1977, it was an Invitational through 1995. The name for the race was the idea of Oak Tree Founding Director Louis R. Rowan and is taken from the wartime song: "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree."

Records

Time record:

Most wins:

Most wins by an owner:

Most wins by a jockey:

Most wins by a trainer:

Winners of the Yellow Ribbon Stakes

Year
 Winner
 Age
 Jockey
 Trainer
 Owner
 Time
2011 Dubawi Heights 4 Joel Rosario Simon Callaghan N. Callaghan/McStay/Magnier 2:00.52
2010‡ Hibaayeb 3 Rafael Bejarano Saeed bin Suroor Godolphin Racing 2:00.44
2009 Magical Fantasy 4 Alex Solis Paddy Gallagher Bienstock/Mandabach/Winner 1:59.59
2008 Wait a While 5 John Velazquez Todd Pletcher Arindel Farm/Alan Cohen 1:59.16
2007 Nashoba's Key 4 Joseph Talamo Carla Gaines Warren B. Williamson 1:59.73
2006 Wait a While 3 Garrett Gomez Todd Pletcher Arindel Farm 1:59.25
2005 Megahertz 6 Alex Solis Robert Frankel Michael Bello 2:00.50
2004 Light Jig 4 Rene R. Douglas Robert Frankel Juddmonte Farms 1:59.28
2003 Tates Creek 5 Pat Valenzuela Robert Frankel Juddmonte Farms 2:00.77
2002 Golden Apples 4 Pat Valenzuela Ben D. A. Cecil Gary Tanaka 1:59.72
2001 Janet 4 David R. Flores Darrell Vienna Stonerside Stable 1:58.64
2000 Tranquility Lake 5 Ed Delahoussaye Julio C. Canani Martin & Pam Wygod 2:02.98
1999 Spanish Fern 4 Chris McCarron Robert Frankel Juddmonte Farms 1:59.52
1998 Fiji 4 Kent Desormeaux Neil Drysdale Prince Fahd bin Salman 2:05.23
1997 Ryafan 3 Alex Solis John Gosden Juddmonte Farms 2:03.60
1996 Donna Viola 4 Gary Stevens Chris Wall Kieran D. Scott 2:00.62
1995 Alpride 4 Chris McCarron Ron McAnally Sid & Jenny Craig 2:01.68
1994 Aube Indienne 4 Kent Desormeaux Charles Whittingham Frankfurt Stables 2:02.32
1993 Possibly Perfect 3 Corey Nakatani Robert Frankel Blue Vista Inc 2:02.91
1992 Super Staff 4 Kent Desormeaux Ron McAnally Juddmonte Farms 1:59.20
1991 Kostroma 5 Kent Desormeaux Gary F. Jones Robert Sangster et al. 2:01.00
1990 Plenty of Grace 3 Herb McCauley John M. Veitch Darby Dan Farm 1:58.40
1989 Brown Bess 7 Jack L. Kaenel Charles J. Jenda Calbourne Farm 1:57.60
1988 Delighter 3 Chris McCarron Jonathan Pease Evergreen Farm 2:02.40
1987 Carotene 4 Jose A. Santos Roger Attfield Kinghaven Farms 2:03.80
1986 Bonne Ile 5 Fernando Toro John Gosden Arthur M. Budgett (Lessee) 2:01.60
1985 Estrapade 5 Bill Shoemaker Charles Whittingham Summa Stable (Lessee) 2:00.40
1984 Sabin 4 Eddie Maple Woody Stephens Henryk de Kwiatkowski 2:00.00
1983 Sangue 5 Bill Shoemaker Henry Moreno R. Charlene Parks 2:02.20
1982† Castilla 3 Ray Sibille Charles Whittingham Mary Jones Bradley 1:58.60
1981 Queen to Conquer 5 Marco Castaneda Charles Whittingham Wimborne Farm 1:58.60
1980 Kilijaro 4 Alain Lequeux Olivier Douieb Serge Fradkoff 1:59.20
1979 Country Queen 4 Laffit Pincay, Jr. Randy Winick Blum, Sarant & Winick 2:00.20
1978 Amazer 3 Bill Shoemaker Maurice Zilber Nelson Bunker Hunt 1:59.20
1977 Star Ball 5 Howard Grant Jaime Villagomez Valpredo & Valpredo 2:02.60

† In 1982, Avigaition finished first but was disqualified and placed second.
‡ In 2010 run at Hollywood Park.

References