Phoenix Stakes (United States)

The Phoenix Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of six furlongs and currently offers a purse of $250,000. Raced in early October, prior to 1989 it was run during the track's spring meeting. It became a Grade III event in 2000, then was upgraded to Grade II status in 2016.^[1]

Part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, the winner of the Phoenix Stakes automatically qualifies for the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

History[]

Founded in 1831 with the name from the local Phoenix Hotel, it is the oldest thoroughbred horse race in North America though it has not been run continuously.^[2] Hosted by the Kentucky Association racetrack in Lexington until 1930, the event was restarted at Keeneland Race Course in 1937. From 1943 to 1945, the race was renewed as part of the Keeneland-at-Churchill Downs meetings. Over the years it has been called the Brennan, Chiles, Phoenix, Association, Phoenix Hotel Stakes and Phoenix Handicap.

The Phoenix Stakes was raced on dirt until 2006 when Keeneland Race Course installed a synthetic Polytrack surface. In 2014, the Polytrack was replaced by a new dirt surface. As a result of these changes, Keeneland maintains separate sets of track records.^[3]

The 2016 Phoenix Stakes was the 164th running on the race. A. P. Indian won while establishing a track record for the new dirt surface.^[4]

Records[]

Speed record: (at current distance of 6 furlongs)

• 1:07.60 - (1993 on old dirt surface)
• 1:08.43 - A. P. Indian (2016 on new dirt surface)

Winners since 1972[]

Earlier winners[]

Sire lines[]

• the Darley Arabian (1700c) sire line (all branched through the Eclipse (1764) line)^[5] produced 108 Stakes winners (70 colts, 28 geldings, 10 fillies), including all winners from 1989 to present. The main branches of this sire line are:
  • the (1764) branch produced 1 winner, most recently in ^[6]
  • the King Fergus (1775) branch produced 16 winners. His sire line continued primarily through his son Hambletonian (1792) with 13 winners (exclusively through the Voltigeur (1847) line), continued primarily through his descendant Vedette (1854) with 12 winners, due primarily to his son Galopin (1872) with 9 winners (exclusively through the St. Simon (1881) line), most recently Whitmore in ^[7][8][9]
  • the Potoooooooo (1773) branch^[10] produced 91 winners (all branched through the Waxy (1790) line). The primary branch of this sire line is through Whalebone (1807), which has produced 82 winners. In turn, the primary branch continues through Sir Hercules (1826), which has produced 60 winners, and then the Birdcatcher (1833) branch^[11] which produced 54 winners. From Birdcatcher, the branch of The Baron (1842) has produced 48 winners (exclusively through the Stockwell (1849) line).^[12] Birdcatcher's grandson Doncaster (1870) sired Bend Or (1877), whose sire line accounts for 43 winners.^[13] The main branch of the Bend Or sire line continued through his son Bona Vista (1889) with 36 winners, exclusively through the Phalaris (1913) line,^[14] which has dominated in the last several decades (including all winners from 2018 to present), primarily through his son Pharos (1920) with 24 winners (exclusively through the Nearco (1935) line),^[15] most recently in .^[16] Of special note, the Phalaris (1913) branch produced two more recent winners than the Pharos (1920) line, from the less common Sickle (1924) branch (10 winners exclusively through the Raise a Native (1961) line, nearly exclusively through the Mr Prospector (1970) line with 9 winners), most recently in ,^[17] and in .^[18]
    • Special notes:
      • The Whalebone (1807) branch produced two main lines: the primary branch of Sir Hercules (1826) which produced 60 winners, and the secondary branch of Camel (1822) which produced 17 winners (exclusively through the Touchstone (1831) line). The Camel branch continued primarily through two of this grandsons: the Newminster (1848) branch (8 winners, primarily through the Hyperion (1930) line with 5 winners, most recently in ), and the Orlando (1841) branch (9 winners, primarily through the Commando (1900) line with 7 winners, most recently in ).^[19][20] A third branch through (exclusively through the (1843) line) produced 5 winners, most recently in .^[21]
      • The Sir Hercules (1826) branch produced two main lines: the primary branch of Birdcatcher (1833) which produced 54 winners, and the secondary branch of Faugh-a-Ballagh (1841) which produced 6 winners (exclusively through the Leamington (1853) line), most recently winner Chant.^[22]
      • The Birdcatcher (1833) branch produced two main lines: the primary branch of The Baron (1870) which produced 48 winners, and the secondary branch of (1857) which produced 6 winners (nearly exclusively through the Swynford (1907) line with 5 winners), most recently winner .^[23]
      • The Bend Or (1877) branch produced two main lines: the primary branch of Bona Vista (1889) which produced 36 winners, and the secondary branch of Ormonde (1883) which produced 6 winners (nearly exclusively through the Teddy (1913) line with 5 winners), most recently winner .^[24]
• the Byerley Turk (1680c) sire line^[25][26][27] produced 25 winners (18 colts, 2 geldings, 5 fillies).^[28] The main branches of this sire (all branched through the Herod (1758) line) are:
  • the Florizel (1768) branch produced 16 winners, (all branched through the Diomed (1777) line). The main branches of this sire line are:
    • the (1806) branch produced 2 winners (all branched through the American Eclipse (1814) line), most recently in ^[29][30]
    • the Sir Archy (1805) branch produced 14 winners. The main branches of this sire line include:
      • the (1822) branch produced 1 winner, most recently in ^[28]
      • the (1815) branch produced 1 winner, most recently in ^[31]
      • the Sir Charles (1816) branch produced 1 winner, most recently in ^[32]
      • the (1820) branch produced 2 winners, most recently in ^[33][34]
      • the Timoleon (1813) branch produced 9 winners (all branched through the Boston (1833) line), continued primarily through the Lexington (1850) line with 7 winners, including his win in the ,^[35] and 6 progeny winners, most recently in ^{[36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]}
  • the (1773) branch produced 9 winners (all branched through the (1787) line). The main branches of this sire line are:
    • the (1801) branch produced 1 winner, most recently Kingman in ^[44]
    • the Selim (1802) branch produced 8 winners (all branched through the Sultan (1816) line). The main branches of this sire line are:
      • the Bay Middleton (1833) branch produced 3 winners (exclusively through the Tourbillon (1928) line), most recently in ^[45][46][47]
      • the Glencoe (1831) branch produced 5 winners (nearly exclusively through the (1850) line with 4 winners), most recently in ^{[48][49][50][51][52]}
• the Godolphin Arabian (1724c) sire line^[53] produced 6 winners (5 colts, 1 filly). The main branches of this sire (all branched through the West Australian (1850) line) are:
  • the (1861) branch produced 2 winners, most recently in ^[54][55]
  • the Australian (1858) branch produced 4 winners, including:
    • (1864), winner of the ^[56]
    • the Spendthrift (1876) branch produced 3 winners, (all branched through the Intentionally (1956) line) most recently of the in ^[57][58][59]

Phoenix Stakes winners with male-line descendants including other Phoenix Stakes winners

• Himyar () – 8 winners (6 colts; 1 gelding; 1 filly); most recently (; )^{[60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67]}
• Lexington () – 6 winners (4 colts; 2 fillies); most recently ()^{[37][38][39][40][42][43]}
• Ten Broeck () – 2 colts; most recently Bersan ()^[68][69]
• () – 2 colts; most recently Chant ()^[70][22]
• () – 2 winners (1 colt; 1 gelding); most recently ()^[71][72]
• Falsetto () – 1 colt; Chant (1894)^[22]

Footnotes[]

References[]

• The 2007 Phoenix Stakes at the NTRA