The American Turf Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...

 for three-year-olds held annually at Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...

 in Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...

. It is currently a Grade II

Graded stakes race

A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...

 race run over a distance of 8.5 furlong

Furlong

A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....

s on turf

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

. The American Graded Stakes Committee upgraded the race to its current Grade II status in 2010. http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/54257/arkansas-derby-among-three-new-grade-i-stakes/

The race is run in early May on the same day as the Kentucky Oaks

Kentucky Oaks

The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers 1⅛ miles at Churchill Downs; the horses carry 121 pounds . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby each year...

. It has been sponsored by Crown Royal

Crown Royal

Crown Royal is a blended Canadian whisky, 40% alcohol by volume, 80 proof. The brand is currently owned by Diageo, who purchased it when the Seagram portfolio was dissolved in the year 2000. It is the top-selling Canadian whisky in the United States....

 whiskey since 1995.

Winners since 1998

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time	Grade
2011	Banned	Garrett Gomez	Tom Proctor	Glen Hill Farm	1:42.05	II
2010	Doubles Partner	Garrett Gomez Garrett K. Gomez Garrett Keith Gomez is an American thoroughbred jockey.-Early career:Gomez learned to ride by watching his father, Louie, who was a jockey at many tracks in the Southwest United States...	Todd A. Pletcher	WinStar Farm WinStar Farm WinStar Farm is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding and racing farm near Versailles, Kentucky. Formerly known as Prestonwood Farm, it was owned by Houston, Texas oilmen Jack, Art, and J. R...	1:41.05	II
2009	Orthodox	Jon Court Jon Court Jon Kenton Court is an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing.Having grown up in Florida, Jon Court began riding in Colorado at the now closed Centennial Park in 1980....	John Glenney	Kim and John Glenney	1:44.37	III
2008	Tizdejavu	Garrett Gomez Garrett K. Gomez Garrett Keith Gomez is an American thoroughbred jockey.-Early career:Gomez learned to ride by watching his father, Louie, who was a jockey at many tracks in the Southwest United States...	Gregory Fox	M. Cooper/P. Ziebarth	1:46.14	III
2007	Duveen	Mark Guidry Mark Guidry Mark Guidry is a retired American jockey.He began his riding career in Thoroughbred horse racing in his native Louisiana in 1974 where he remained until 1986 when he went to race in Illinois. He was the leading jockey at Hawthorne Race Course seven times, Sportsman's Park nine times, and two...	Dale L. Romans Dale L. Romans Dale L. Romans is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.The son of a trainer, Dale Romans is best known for training the winner of the 2011 Preakness, Shackleford....	Andrew Farm	1:44.03	III
2006	Stream Cat	Julien Leparoux Julien Leparoux Julien R. Leparoux is a Champion jockey currently racing in the United States.Leparoux, grew up in a racing family, the son of a jockey turned assistant trainer. He worked at the Chantilly Racecourse as a stable hand and in January 2003 emigrated to California to work as an exercise rider for...	Patrick Biancone Patrick Biancone Patrick Louis Biancone is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He is currently based in the United States, but enjoyed success in both Europe and Hong Kong earlier in his career...	Fab Oak Stable et al.	1:42.27	III
2005	Rey de Cafe	Javier Castellano Javier Castellano Javier Castellano is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.Castellano began his riding career in his native Venezuela in 1996 and in June 1997 moved to the United States where rode at race tracks in southern Florida until 2001 when he moved to race on the New York State racing circuit.In...	George R. Arniold II	G. Watts Humphrey	1:42.00	III
2004	Kitten's Joy Kitten's Joy Kitten's Joy is an American Thoroughbred racehorse by the Sadler's Wells stallion El Prado out of the Lear Fan mare Kitten's First. Kitten's Joy is owned and bred by Ken and Sarah Ramsey...	Jerry Bailey	Dale L. Romans Dale L. Romans Dale L. Romans is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.The son of a trainer, Dale Romans is best known for training the winner of the 2011 Preakness, Shackleford....	Ken & Sarah Ramsey	1:43.21	III
2003	Senor Swinger	Pat Day Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...	Bob Baffert Bob Baffert Robert A. "Bob" Baffert is an American horse owner and trainer, whose horses have won three Kentucky Derbies, five Preakness Stakes, one Belmont Stakes and two Kentucky Oaks. He graduated from the University of Arizona's with a Bachelor of Science degree. -Early career:Bob Baffert began his...	Bob & Beverly Lewis	1:41.38	III
2002	Legislator Legislator A legislator is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are usually politicians and are often elected by the people...	Edgar Prado	H. James Bond	Judy E. Turetsky	1:44.43	III
2001	Strategic Partner	John Velazquez	Mark A. Hennig Mark A. Hennig Mark A. Hennig is an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer.Born into a horse racing family, his father, John Hennig, was also a trainer. After working with his father, Mark Hennig became an assistant to Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas before going out on his own in 1991.-References:*...	Lee Lewis	1:42.89	III
2000	King Cugat	Jerry Bailey	William I. Mott	Centennial Farms	1:41.25	III
1999	Air Rocket	Jerry Bailey	Robert E. Holthus Robert E. Holthus Robert E. "Bob" Holthus was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. As a second generation trainer, Holthus learned the profession from his father, Paul Holthus....	Frank Fletcher	1:42.65	III
1998	Dernier Croise	Gary L. Stevens	Thomas Amoss	Richard Colton Jr.	1:44.28	III