Hambletonian Oaks
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East Rutherford, New Jersey
(since 1981)
| Location | Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment East Rutherford, New Jersey (since 1981) |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1971 at the DuQuoin State Fair, DuQuoin, Illinois |
| Race type | Standardbred (Trot) |
| Website | www |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 mile (8.0 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | three-year-old fillies |
| Purse | $525,000 (2024) |
The Hambletonian Oaks is a premier harness racing event for three-year-old Standardbred female trotters first run in 1971.[1] The race is operated by The Hambletonian Society, Inc. which also operates the Hambletonian Stakes for three-year-old for male horses and the Breeders Crown series.[2]
The Hambletonian Society, Inc. is a Group Stakeholder of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC). Beginning in 1991, the Society's Board of Directors banned any horse from competing in the Hambletonioan Oaks using the either of the medications Butazolidin or Lasix.[3]
In 2016, the driver and trainer combination of Yannick Gingras and Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Takter set a record when they won the Oaks together for the third consecutive year.[4] The team also won the 2017 Oaks, which made it the fourth consecutive year.
Only 6 of the 36 Hambletonian Oaks run through 2017 have been won by a trainer born in the United States. The foreign born winning trainers have come from Sweden (16), Canada (10), Norway (3) and New Zealand (1).[5]
Race locations
- 1971–1980: State Fair, DuQuoin, Illinois
- 1981–present: Meadowlands Racetrack, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Records
- Most wins by a driver
- 6 – Yannick Gingras (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020)
- Most wins by an owner
- 3 – Marvin Katz & Alexander J. Libfeld (1998, 2998, 2016), Castleton Farm (1971, 1973, 1974)
- Most wins by a trainer
- 7 – Jimmy Takter (1994, 2003, 2006, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
- Most wins by a groom
- 2 – Jim Summers (1985, 1997)
- Stakes record
- 1:50.0 – Manchengo (2018)