Derby City Distaff Stakes

Horse race

The Derby City Distaff Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares aged three and older over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt held annually in early May on the Kentucky Derby day meeting at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky during the spring meeting. The current purse is US$1,000,000.

History

The event was inaugurated on May 2, 1987, as the fifth race on the undercard of the Kentucky Derby day meeting as the Brown & Williamson Handicap sponsored by the tobacco company Brown & Williamson, which at the time had their headquarters in Louisville.^[1]

The event was a Listed race until 1990 when it was upgraded to Grade III status. It was subsequently upgraded to a Grade II event in 1999 then to its present Grade I status in 2002.^[2]

The event's name was changed in 1995 to the Humana Distaff Handicap, sponsored by Humana, an American health insurance company also based in Louisville, Kentucky.^[3] In 2007, the event was changed to the Humana Distaff Stakes, and is now run under allowance weight conditions.^[4] Humana last year of sponsorship was 2019, with Churchill Downs finding new sponsorship in 2020 with Derby City Gaming.^[5]

The first five runnings of the event the winners were ridden by US Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day. Pat Day won another two more runnings of this event before retiring in 2005. In 2015, Churchill Downs renamed the Derby Trial in his honor as the Pat Day Mile which is held on the same day as this event.^[6]

Of the more notable winners of this race include 2012 winner Groupie Doll who set a new track record at Churchill Downs for the 7 furlong distance in a time of 1:20.44 and would later that year win the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and be crowned the US Champion Female Sprint Horse.

Records

Speed record

• 1:20.44 – Groupie Doll (2012)

Margins

• 7+1⁄4 lengths – Groupie Doll (2012)

Most wins

• No horse has won this race more than once.

Most wins by a jockey

• 7 – Pat Day (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2001, 2004)

Most wins by a trainer

• 2 – Bob Baffert (2006, 2014, 2021)

Most wins by an owner:

• 2 – Juddmonte Farms (2003, 2017)
• 2 – Michael E. Pegram (2006, 2014)

Winners

Notes:
† In the 2002 running, Gold Mover won the race but was disqualified and placed second after stewards ruled she had bumped and interfered with Celtic Melody near the eighth pole.

See also

• Humana Distaff Handicap "top three finishers" and starters
• List of graded stakes at Churchill Downs
• List of American and Canadian Graded races

References

1. "Lazer Show, Sovereign's Ace ... (1987 Brown and Williamson Handicap – race 5: held 2 May 1987)". The Courier-Journal. May 3, 1987. pp. 14, 19. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
2. "HUMANA DISTAFF STAKES – MULTIPLE TRACKS". Thoroughbred Pedigree Online. 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
3. Churchill Downs (2019). "$500,000 Humana Distaff (Grade I)" (PDF). KentuckyDerby.com. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
4. "Humana Distaff Stakes Profile". www.equibase.com. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
5. "The 34th Running of THE DERBY CITY DISTAFF presented by Derby City Gaming $500,000 Grade I". Churchill Downs. equibase. 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
6. "Churchill Moves Derby Trial, Now Pat Day Mile". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
7. "2024 Derby City Distaff S. presented by Kendall-Jackson Winery Grade 1 – (race 6)". Equibase. May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
8. "2023 Derby City Distaff S. presented by Kendall-Jackson Winery Grade 1 – (race 4)". Equibase. May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
9. "2022 Derby City Distaff S. presented by Kendall-Jackson Winery Grade 1 – (race 8)". Equibase. May 7, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
10. "2021 Derby City Distaff S. presented by Kendall-Jackson Winery Grade 1 – (race 7)". Equibase. May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
11. "2020 Derby City Distaff S. presented by Derby City Gaming Grade 1 – (race 12)". Equibase. September 5, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
12. "2019 Humana Distaff Stakes Grade 1 – (race 6)". Equibase. May 4, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
13. "2018 Humana Distaff Stakes Grade 1 – (race 6)". Equibase. May 5, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
14. "2017 Humana Distaff Stakes Grade 1 – (race 6)". Equibase. May 6, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
15. "2016 Humana Distaff Stakes Grade 1 – (race 8)". Equibase. May 7, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
16. "2015 Humana Distaff Stakes Grade 1 – (race 7)". Equibase. May 2, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
17. "2014 Humana Distaff Stakes Grade 1 – (race 7)". Equibase. May 3, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
18. "2013 Humana Distaff Stakes Grade 1 – (race 7)". Equibase. May 4, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
19. "2012 Humana Distaff Stakes Grade 1 – (race 9)". Equibase. May 5, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
20. "2011 Humana Distaff Stakes Grade 1 – (race 7)". Equibase. May 7, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
21. "2010 Humana Distaff Stakes Grade 1 – (race 8)". Equibase. May 1, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
22. "2009 Humana Distaff Stakes Grade 1 – (race 9)". Equibase. May 2, 2009. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
23. "2008 Humana Distaff Stakes Grade 1 – (race 8)". Equibase. May 3, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
24. "2007 Humana Distaff Stakes Grade 1 – (race 8)". Equibase. May 5, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
25. "2006 Humana Distaff Handicap Grade 1 – (race 8)". Equibase. May 6, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
26. "2005 Humana Distaff Handicap Grade 1 – (race 8)". Equibase. May 7, 2005. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
27. "2004 Humana Distaff Handicap Grade 1 – (race 8)". Equibase. May 1, 2004. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
28. "2003 Humana Distaff Handicap Grade 1 – (race 8)". Equibase. May 3, 2003. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
29. "2002 Humana Distaff Handicap Grade 1 – (race 7)". Equibase. May 4, 2002. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
30. "2001 Humana Distaff Handicap Grade 2 – (race 6)". Equibase. May 5, 2001. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
31. "2000 Humana Distaff Handicap Grade 2 – (race 6)". Equibase. May 6, 2000. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
32. "1999 Humana Distaff Handicap Grade 2 – (race 6)". Equibase. May 1, 1999. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
33. "1998 Humana Distaff Handicap Grade 3 – (race 6)". Equibase. May 2, 1998. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
34. "1997 Humana Distaff Handicap Grade 3 – (race 6)". Equibase. May 3, 1997. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
35. "1996 Humana Distaff Handicap Grade 3 – (race 6)". Equibase. May 4, 1996. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
36. "1995 Humana Distaff Handicap Grade 3 – (race 6)". Equibase. May 6, 1995. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
37. "1994 Brown & Williamson Handicap Grade 3 – (race 5)". Equibase. May 7, 1994. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
38. "1993 Brown & Williamson Handicap Grade 3 – (race 5)". Equibase. May 1, 1993. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
39. "1992 Brown & Williamson Handicap Grade 3 – (race 6)". Equibase. May 2, 1992. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
40. "1991 Brown and Williamson Handicap Grade 3 – (race 5)". Equibase. May 4, 1991. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
41. Terbune, Jim (May 6, 1990). "Medicine Woman catches Lost Lode (1990 Brown and Williamson Handicap Grade 3 – race 6: held 5 May 1990)". The Courier-Journal. p. 13. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
42. Fowler, Scott (May 7, 1989). "Sunshine Always pauses, pounces (1989 Brown and Williamson Handicap – race 5: held 6 May 1989)". The Courier-Journal. p. 19. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
43. "Churchill Downs Results (1988 Brown and Williamson Handicap – race 5: held 7 May 1988)". The Courier-Journal. May 8, 1988. pp. 21, 47. Retrieved August 29, 2020.