Shakertown Stakes
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| Class | Grade II |
|---|---|
| Location | Keeneland Race Course Lexington, Kentucky |
| Inaugurated | 1995 (as Minstral Stakes) |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Sponsor | Valvoline (2025) |
| Website | www.keeneland.com |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 5+1⁄2 furlongs |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds & older |
| Weight | Base weights with allowances: 4-year-olds and up: 126 lbs. 3-year-olds: 121 lbs. |
| Purse | $400,000 (2025) |
The Shakertown Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of 5+1⁄2 furlongs on the turf held annually in early April at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky during the spring meeting. The event currently carries a purse of $400,000.
The event was inaugurated as The Mistral Stakes on 18 October 1995 as a three-year-old-only race over a distance of 1+1⁄8 miles.[1] The following year the event was not held but in 1997 was moved to the spring meeting and held at the current distance of 5+1⁄2 furlongs.[2]
The event was renamed in 1998 to the Shakertown Stakes to honor Shakertown, a nearby Shaker community that is a United States National Historic Landmark, located about 25 miles from the racetrack.
The event was upgraded to a Grade III in 2003 and in 2016 to a Grade II.[3]
In 2020 Lienster broke the course record held by Perfect Officer since 2012. The time was 1:00.86 for the 5+1⁄2 furlongs sprint.[2]
Records
Speed record
- 1:00.86 – Leinster (2020)
Margins
- 4 lengths – Bound for Nowhere (2018)
Most wins
- 2 – Soaring Free (2004, 2005)
- 2 – Bound for Nowhere (2018, 2021)
Most wins by an owner
- 2 – Sam-Son Farm (2004, 2005)
- 2 – Martin Racing Stable (2008, 2014)
- 2 – Wesley A. Ward (2018, 2021)
Most wins by a jockey
- 3 – Shane Sellers (1998, 1999, 2004)
Most wins by a trainer
- 4 – Wesley A. Ward (2016, 2018, 2021, 2022)