Beverly D. Stakes
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| Class | Grade II |
|---|---|
| Location | Colonial Downs New Kent County, Virginia |
| Inaugurated | 1987 (at Arlington Park) |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | Colonial Downs |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+3⁄16 miles |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Fillies & Mares, three-years-old and older |
| Weight | Weight for Age |
| Purse | $500,000 (2022) |
The Beverly D. Stakes is a Grade II flat horse race in the United States for thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years and upward over a distance of 1+3⁄16 miles at Colonial Downs in New Kent County, Virginia. The event is a supporting stakes race on the Arlington Million racing program.
Churchill Downs, whose parent company owns the land of the defunct Arlington Park racetrack, hosted the Beverly D. Stakes in 2022.[1] The 2023 race was run at Churchill-owned Colonial Downs in Virginia.[2]
The race was first run in 1987, but was not run the following season due to refurbishment at Arlington Park. It became a Grade I race in 1991.[3] It was also not run in 1998/99 as the track was closed during this time.
The event was a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.[4]
Seven Beverly D winners have gone on to be voted the American Champion Female Turf Horse: Flawlessly (1993), Hatoof (1994), Possibly Perfect (1995), Golden Apples (2002), Stacelita (2011), Dank (2013), and Sistercharlie (2018).[5]
In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Arlington Park did not schedule the event in their shortened meeting.[6]
The 2022 Beverly D. Stakes was run at Churchill Downs. The Louisville racetrack's parent company, Churchill Downs Incorporated (which owns the Arlington Park property), announced early that year that it would relocate the race along with several of Arlington's traditional stakes races, including the Arlington Million.[1] Because the Churchill Downs turf course is smaller than the one used at Arlington, the distance of the 2022 race was shortened from 1+3⁄16 miles to 1+1⁄8 miles.[7]
In December 2022 an agreement was reached between Churchill Downs and the American Graded Stakes Committee to move the 2023 Arlington Million and its supporting races, including the Beverly D., to Colonial Downs in Virginia. The move allowed the Beverly D. to return to its original distance of 1+3⁄16 miles.[2]
Records
Stakes record: (At 1+3⁄16 miles)
- 1:52.43 – Sistercharlie (IRE) (2019)
Margins:
- 7+3⁄4 lengths – England's Legend (FR) (2001)
Most wins:
- 2 – Sistercharlie (IRE) (2018, 2019)
Most wins by an owner:
- 4 – Martin S. Schwartz (2005, 2006, 2011, 2016)
Most wins by a jockey:
- 3 – Kent Desormeaux (1992, 2008, 2009)
- 3 - Ryan Moore (2013, 2014, 2021)
Most wins by a trainer:
- 6 – Chad Brown (2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)