Fred W. Hooper Handicap

The Fred W. Hooper Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens, Florida. A Grade III event, it is open to horses age three and older and is contested on dirt at a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs). Currently raced in mid December, it offers a purse of $100,000.

Inaugurated in 1984 as the Tropical Park Handicap, it was run under that name through 1996. In 1987 it was called the Tropical Park Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap. In 1997, the race was renamed in honor of the prominent Thoroughbred owner/breeder, Fred W. Hooper who operated Circle H Farm, a horse breeding operation in Ocala, Florida.

Creme Fraiche won the 1987 edition, which was run in January 1988, in track record time and came back to win it again in December 1988.

The 1984 and 1985 editions were run on turf at a distance of “about” 1⅛ miles. In 1986 it was switched to dirt and set at a distance of 1³/16 miles. The 1987 edition, run in January 1988 was set at 1¼ miles but the 1988 running in December was contested at 1⅛ miles and has remained at that distance, since.

Records

Speed record: (at current distance of 1⅛ miles on dirt)

Most wins:

• 2 - Creme Fraiche (1988, 1988)
• 2 - Csaba (2012, 2013)

Most wins by a jockey:

• 2 - Walter Guerra (1984, 1988)
• 2 - Jose Velez, Jr. (1989, 1996)
• 2 - Cornelio Velasquez (2001, 2002)
• 2 - Rafael Bejarano (2005, 2006)
• 2 - Luis Saez (2012, 2013)

Most wins by a trainer:

• 3 - Nick Zito (2004, 2005, 2006)

Most wins by an owner:

• 2 - Brushwood Stable (1988, 1988)
• 2 - Robert V. LaPenta (2004, 2005)
• 2 - Hollander/Shapoff (2012, 2013)

Winners

References

• The Fred W. Hooper Handicap at the NTRA