The Astarita Stakes was an American non-graded

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...

 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...

 run annually at Belmont Park

Belmont Park

Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...

 in Elmont, New York

Elmont, New York

Elmont is an unincorporated census-designated place located in the northwest corner of the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City...

 between 1946 and 2005. Open to two-year-old fillies

Filly

A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....

, it was a sprint race

Sprint (race)

Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...

 contested on dirt over a distance of six and a half 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. It offered a purse of $100,000.

The race was named for John Madden's

John E. Madden

John Edward Madden was a prominent AmericanThoroughbred and Standardbred owner, breeder and trainer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He owned Hamburg Place Stud in Lexington, Kentucky and bred five Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winners.He was inducted into the National...

 filly who won the 1902 inaugural running of the Astoria Stakes

Astoria Stakes

The Astoria Stakes is a long-lived race for two-year-old Thoroughbred fillies run at Belmont Park during its Spring/Summer season. Originally set at a distance of five furlongs, beginning in the year 1940, it went off at five and a half furlongs on the dirt...

 at the now defunct Gravesend Race Track

Gravesend Race Track

Gravesend Race Track at Gravesend on Coney Island, New York was a Thoroughbred horse racing facility built by the Brooklyn Jockey Club as a result of the backing of the wealthy racing stable owners, the Dwyer Brothers. Philip J...

 on Coney Island

Coney Island

Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.

The Astarita Stakes was downgraded from Grade II to Grade III in 2004 and then discontinued in 2005 by the New York Racing Association

New York Racing Association

The New York Racing Association, Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse-racing tracks in the state of New York. It runs Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island , and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga...

 (NYRA). http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/19352.htm http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/42237.htm?id=42237

Placed on hiatus in 2005 http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/31298.htm?id=31298, the Astarita was previously a Grade III event. The American Graded Stakes Committee ruled it was not eligible for grading in 2008. http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/42237.htm?id=42237

The race has been contested at various distances.

• 6 furlongs : 1946-1956
• 6.5 furlongs : 1972-1994, since 1997
• 7 furlongs : 1957-1971, 1996
• 8 furlongs : 1995

The Astarita Stakes was run in two divisions in 1965, 1968 and 1972.

Winners since 1995

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2005	Sensation	Eibar Coa Eibar Coa Eibar Coa Monteverde is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. A five-time judo champion in his teens, he attended jockey school from 1989 to 1991 then began his professional riding career in 1992...	Stanley M. Hough Stanley M. Hough Stanley M. Hough Stanley M. Hough Stanley M. Hough (born February 20, 1948 in Palatine, Illinois is an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer. The son of Chicago-based Thoroughbred owner/trainer Joseph Hough, he embarked on a training career of his own in 1969....	Castletop Stable	1:16.90
2004	Toll Taker	Eibar Coa Eibar Coa Eibar Coa Monteverde is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. A five-time judo champion in his teens, he attended jockey school from 1989 to 1991 then began his professional riding career in 1992...	Timothy A. Hills	Patrick Welsh	1:18.16
2003	Spectacular Moon	Jorge Chavez Jorge F. Chavez Jorge F. Chavez is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.Chavez began his career in horse racing in 1982 in his native Peru and by 1987 was his country's leading rider. In April 1988 he emigrated to the United States where he raced with a great deal of success at Florida race tracks...	John V. Alecci	John V. Alecci	1:17.16
2002	Humorous Lady	Jerry Bailey	Michael Smith	S. David Plummer	1:17.76
2001	Bella Bellucci	Gary Stevens	Neil D. Drysdale	Michael Tabor Michael Tabor Michael B. Tabor is a businessman and owner of Thoroughbred racehorses.-Thoroughbred racing career:...	1:16.67
2000	Xtra Heat Xtra Heat Xtra Heat is a retired American Thoroughbred Champion filly racehorse. She was owned by Kenneth Taylor, Harry Deitchman, and her trainer, John Salzman, Sr....	Mark Johnston	John Salzman, Sr.	Kenneth Taylor et al.	1:16.71
1999	Silentlea	Robbie Davis Robbie Davis Robbie Glen Davis is a retired American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.-Early life:Davis grew up in a single parent household forced onto welfare, something that would impact him for the rest of his life....	James A. Jerkens James A. Jerkens James A. "Jimmy" Jerkens is an American Thoroughbred horse trainer. His father, U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee H. Allen Jerkens, and brother, Steve Jerkens, are also trainers....	Not found	1:17.44
1998	Paved in Gold	Jorge Chavez Jorge F. Chavez Jorge F. Chavez is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.Chavez began his career in horse racing in 1982 in his native Peru and by 1987 was his country's leading rider. In April 1988 he emigrated to the United States where he raced with a great deal of success at Florida race tracks...	Michael Trivigno	Brian S. Dance	1:18.86
1997	Ninth Inning	Robbie Davis Robbie Davis Robbie Glen Davis is a retired American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.-Early life:Davis grew up in a single parent household forced onto welfare, something that would impact him for the rest of his life....	James A. Jerkens James A. Jerkens James A. "Jimmy" Jerkens is an American Thoroughbred horse trainer. His father, U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee H. Allen Jerkens, and brother, Steve Jerkens, are also trainers....	Peter Blum	1:17.44
1996	Broad Dynamite	Dale Cordova	Damon Pollard	Not found	1:24.02
1995	Top Secret	Mike Smith	George R. Arnold	John H. Peace	1:36.79