Manila Stakes
Grade III Thoroughbred horse race
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Manila Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds over a distance of one mile on the turf scheduled annually in early July at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The current purse is $250,000.
Elmont, New York, United States
| Class | Grade III |
|---|---|
| Location | Belmont Park Elmont, New York, United States |
| Inaugurated | 2014 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | NYRA |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 mile |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds |
| Weight | 122 lbs. with allowances |
| Purse | US$250,000 (since 2023) |
History
The event is named after the US Hall of Famer Manila, the 1986 U.S. Champion Older Male Horse who won the 1986 Breeders' Cup Turf at Churchill Downs.[1]
The event was inaugurated on June 28, 2014, and run over a distance of one mile and was won by R. Lee Lewis's Cabo Cat. Cabo Cat started at odds of 8/1 was ridden by jockey Joe Bravo who settled near the rear from the gate, was four-wide into the lane, rallied down the stretch while widest and held off Long On Value in the final stages to win by a length in a time of 1:33.57.[2]
In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, NYRA did not schedule the event in their updated and shortened spring-summer meeting.[3]
Three winners of this event have gone on and have won Grade I events.[4] In 2023 the event was upgraded by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to a Grade III.[5]
In 2024 the event was moved to Aqueduct Racetrack due to infield tunnel and redevelopment work at Belmont Park.[6]
Records
Speed record
- 1 mile: 1:31.56 – Win Win Win (2019)
Margins
- 3+1⁄2 lengths – Up the Ante (2018)
Most wins by a jockey
- 2 – John R. Velazquez (2016, 2023)
Most wins by a trainer
- 2 – Chad C. Brown (2017, 2025)
Most wins by an owner
- No owner has won the event more than once
Winners
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Distance | Time | Purse | Grade | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At Saratoga | ||||||||||
| 2025 | Zulu Kingdom (IRE) | Flavien Prat | Chad C. Brown | Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, William Strauss & Michael J. Caruso | 1 mile | 1:33.11 | $200,000 | III | [7] | |
| At Aqueduct | ||||||||||
| 2024 | Neat | Junior Alvarado | Robert Atras | Red White & Blue Racing | 1 mile | 1:36.27 | $242,500 | III | [8] | |
| At Belmont Park | ||||||||||
| 2023 | More Than Looks | John R. Velazquez | Cherie DeVaux | Victory Racing Partners | 1 mile | 1:33.19 | $250,000 | III | [9] | |
| 2022 | Annapolis | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Todd A. Pletcher | Bass Racing | 1 mile | 1:32.81 | $100,000 | Listed | [10] | |
| 2021 | Original | James Graham | John P. Terranova | Eric Fein | 1 mile | 1:37.75 | $100,000 | Listed | [11] | |
| 2020 | Race not held | |||||||||
| 2019 | Win Win Win | Julian Pimentel | Michael J. Trombetta | Live Oak Plantation | 1 mile | 1:31.56 | $100,000 | [12] | ||
| 2018 | Up the Ante | Javier Castellano | Christophe Clement | Castleton Lyons | 1 mile | 1:35.42 | $100,000 | [13] | ||
| 2017 | Bricks and Mortar | Joel Rosario | Chad C. Brown | Klaravich Stables & William H. Lawrence | 1 mile | 1:33.12 | $100,000 | [14] | ||
| 2016 | Giant Run | John R. Velazquez | Thomas Albertrani | Robert C. Baker & William L. Mack | 1 mile | 1:32.85 | $100,000 | [15] | ||
| 2015 | Gallery | Jose Lezcano | Michael Dini | Ballybrit Stable | 1 mile | 1:35.35 | $95,000 | [16] | ||
| 2014 | Cabo Cat | Joe Bravo | Mark Hennig | R. Lee Lewis | 1 mile | 1:33.57 | $100,000 | [2] | ||