Azeri Stakes – Wikipedia

Horse race

The Azeri Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are four years old or older, over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt track held annually in March at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The event currently carries a purse of $350,000.

History[edit]

The inaugural running of the event was on 3 April 1987 as the Oaklawn Budweiser Breeders’ Cup Handicap with sponsorship for Budweiser and the Breeders’ Cup.^[1] The event was won by North Sider who was ridden by US Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr. and trained by US Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas in a time of 1:421⁄5.^[2]North Sider later that year would capture US Champion Older Female Horse.

The event was upgraded to a Grade III event in 1990^[1] but was downgraded back to Listed in 1995 for five runnings.

Budweiser continued sponsoring the event until 1995 while the Breeders’ Cup sponsored the event until 2007 which reflected in the name of the event.

The event was renamed Azeri Stakes in 2005 to honor Azeri, the American Horse of the Year of 2002, and the American Champion Older Female Horse three years running: 2002, 2003, and 2004.^[3]

This race was upgraded to a Grade II for its 2014 running.^[4]

Several notable winners went on to become champions. The 2011 winner Havre de Grace would later defeat males in the GI Woodward Stakes and be crowned 2011 American Horse of the Year. The 2019 winner Midnight Bisou continued with her brilliant form to capture US Champion Older Female Horse honors.

Records[edit]

Speed record:

• 1:42.01 – Sister Act (1999)

Margins:

• 6+1⁄4 lengths – Serengeti Empress (2020)

Most wins:

• 2 – Halo America (1995, 1997)
• 2 – Heritage of Gold (2000, 2001)
• 2 – Tiz Miz Sue (2012, 2013)

Most wins by a jockey:

• 3 – Calvin Borel (1997, 1999, 2010)
• 3 – Joseph Rocco Jr. (2012, 2013, 2016)

Most wins by a trainer:

Most wins by an owner:

Winners[edit]

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Distance	Time	Purse	Grade	Ref
Azeri Stakes
2023	Secret Oath	4	Tyler Gaffalione	D. Wayne Lukas	Briland Farm	1+1⁄16 miles	1:43.26	$350,000	II	[5]
2022	Ce Ce	6	Victor Espinoza	Michael W. McCarthy	Bo Hirsch	1+1⁄16 miles	1:43.55	$350,000	II	[6]
2021	Shedaresthedevil	4	Florent Geroux	Brad H. Cox	Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing Limited & Big Aut Farms	1+1⁄16 miles	1:42.57	$350,000	II	[7]
2020	Serengeti Empress	4	Joseph Talamo	Thomas M. Amoss	Joel Politi	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.46	$350,000	II	[8]
2019	Midnight Bisou	4	Mike E. Smith	Steven M. Asmussen	Bloom Racing Stable, Madaket Stables & Allen Racing	1+1⁄16 miles	1:42.72	$343,000	II	[9]
2018	Martini Glass	5	Paco Lopez	Keith Nations	Vince Campanella & Nation’s Racing Stable	1+1⁄16 miles	1:42.95	$350,000	II	[10]
2017	Streamline	5	Chris Landeros	Brian Williamson	Nancy A. Vanier & Cartwright Thoroughbreds V	1+1⁄16 miles	1:43.67	$350,000	II	[11]
2016	Call Pat	6	Joseph Rocco Jr.	Brad H. Cox	Miller Racing	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.44	$350,000	II	[12]
2015	Gold Medal Dancer	5	Luis S. Quinonez	Donnie K. Von Hemel	Pin Oak Stable	1+1⁄16 miles	1:45.92	$294,000	II	[13]
2014	Close Hatches	4	Joel Rosario	William I. Mott	Juddmonte Farms	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.34	$200,000	II	[14]
2013	Tiz Miz Sue	6	Joseph Rocco Jr.	Steve Hobby	Cres Ran	1+1⁄16 miles	1:45.26	$147,000	III	[15]
2012	Tiz Miz Sue	5	Joseph Rocco Jr.	Steve Hobby	Cres Ran	1+1⁄16 miles	1:43.58	$147,000	III	[16]
2011	Havre de Grace	4	Ramon A. Dominguez	J. Larry Jones	Fox Hills Farms	1+1⁄16 miles	1:42.02	$150,000	III	[17]
2010	Freedom Star	4	Calvin H. Borel	Bob Baffert	George Krikorian	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.09	$149,750	III	[18]
2009	Acoma	4	Julien R. Leparoux	David M. Carroll	Helen Alexander & Helen K. Groves	1+1⁄16 miles	1:42.55	$138,500	III	[19]
2008	Hystericalady	5	Robby Albarado	Jerry Hollendorfer	Rancho San Miguel, Jerry Hollendorfer & George Todaro	1+1⁄16 miles,	1:43.86	$171,500	III	[20]
2007	India	4	Christopher P. DeCarlo	Todd A. Pletcher	Lyon Stables	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.37	$175,000	III	[21]
2006	Round Pond	4	Stewart Elliott	John C. Servis	Fox Hill Farms	1+1⁄16 miles	1:43.93	$173,500	III	[22]
2005	Injustice	4	Luis S. Quinonez	Wayne M. Catalano	Turf Express, Darrell & Evelyn Yates	1+1⁄16 miles	1:43.40	$175,000	III	[23]
Oaklawn Breeders’ Cup Stakes
2004	Golden Sonata	5	Carlos H. Marquez Jr.	Morris G. Nicks	James C. Spence	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.32	$200,000	III	[24]
2003	Bien Nicole	5	Donald R. Pettinger	Donnie K. Von Hemel	John & Kristine Richter	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.19	$194,000	III	[25]
2002	Ask Me No Secrets	4	Mike E. Smith	David E. Hofmans	Earl H. Shultz	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.56	$200,000	III	[26]
2001	Heritage of Gold	6	Robby Albarado	Thomas M. Amoss	Jack Garey	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.20	$200,000	III	[27]
2000	Heritage of Gold	5	Shane Sellers	Thomas M. Amoss	Jack Garey	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.15	$192,000	III	[28]
1999	Sister Act	4	Calvin H. Borel	Jeffrey N. Jacobs	Choctaw Racing & Duncan Taylor	1+1⁄16 miles	1:42.01	$120,000	Listed	[29]
1998	Turn to the Queen	5	Timothy T. Doocy	Kenny P. Smith	Dr. K. K. Jayaraman & Dr. Vilasini D. Jayaraman.	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.76	$147,000	Listed	[30]
Oaklawn Breeders’ Cup Handicap
1997	§ Halo America	7	Calvin H. Borel	Bobby C. Barnett	John A. Franks	1+1⁄16 miles	1:42.18	$150,000	Listed	[31]
1996	Belle of Cozzene	4	Donald R. Pettinger	Steve Hobby	John E. & Barbara R. Smicklas	1+1⁄16 miles	1:43.32	$149,750	Listed	[32]
1995	§ Halo America	5	Weldon T. Cloninger Jr.	Bobby C. Barnett	John A. Franks	1+1⁄16 miles	1:42.59	$148,500	Listed	[33]
1994	§ Morning Meadow	4	Shane P. Romero	Bobby C. Barnett	John A. Franks	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.60	$157,750	III	[34]
1993	Guiza	6	Corey Nakatani	Robert J. Frankel	Robert Witt	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.79	$156,000	III	[35]
1992	Cuddles	4	David Guillory	D. Wayne Lukas	Overbrook Farm	1+1⁄16 miles	1:43.82	$157,500	III	[36]
1991	A Wild Ride	4	Pat Day	D. Wayne Lukas	Zenya Yoshida	1+1⁄16 miles	1:42.31	$157,950	III	[37]
1990	A Penny Is a Penny	5	Aaron Gryder	Steven L. Morguelan	David L. Levitch	1+1⁄16 miles	1:43.60	$158,900	III	[38]
1989	Savannah’s Honor	4	Jerry D. Bailey	Richard J. Lundy	Allen E. Paulson	1+1⁄16 miles	1:45.00	$158,200		[39]
1988	Ms. Margi	4	Jerry D. Bailey	Philip M. Hauswald	Edward A. Cox Jr.	1+1⁄16 miles	1:42.20	$158,150		[40]
1987	North Sider	5	Angel Cordero Jr.	D. Wayne Lukas	D. Wayne Lukas & Paul Paternostro	1+1⁄16 miles	1:42.20	$133,120		[2]

See also[edit]

External sites[edit]

Oaklawn Park Media Guide 2021

References[edit]