Bahamas Stakes
Encyclopedia
The Bahamas Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race
run annually in January at Hialeah Park Race Track
in Hialeah, Florida
. A seven furlong
race on dirt, it was the first important test of the calendar year for newly turned three-year-olds. The race was used by prospective U.S. Triple Crown
contenders as a stepping stone to the Everglades
and Flamingo Stakes
at the Hialeah track. Reflected Glory (1967) and Pistols and Roses
(1992), swept all three events.
Inaugurated in 1934 as the Bahamas Handicap,it was run in two divisions in 1952, 1953, and 1969.
By the mid 1980s, the racing dates available to Hialeak Park track forced a rescheduling of the race and as such it would rarely be contested by Triple Crown hopefuls. Hialeah Park closed permanently after the 2001 racing season.
The great Bold Ruler
equalled the track record in his 1957 win. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30B10F73954177B93C3AA178AD85F438585F9
Four horses who were beaten in the Bahamas Stakes went on to win the Kentucky Derby
:
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 in January at Hialeah Park Race Track
Hialeah Park Race Track
The Hialeah Park Race Track is a historic site in Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East 22nd Street on the south to East 32nd Street on the north. On March 5, 1979, it was added to the U.S...
in Hialeah, Florida
Hialeah, Florida
Hialeah is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 226,419. As of 2009, the population estimate by the U. S...
. A seven 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....
race on dirt, it was the first important test of the calendar year for newly turned three-year-olds. The race was used by prospective U.S. Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
contenders as a stepping stone to the Everglades
Everglades Stakes
The Everglades Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Hialeah Park in Hialeah, Florida. For three-year-old horses, the 1 1/8 mile race was run on dirt until 1994 when it was converted to a race on turf...
and Flamingo Stakes
Flamingo Stakes
The Flamingo Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in March at the Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida. Run over a distance of nine furlongs, the inaugural race took place in 1926 at the Tampa, Florida racetrack...
at the Hialeah track. Reflected Glory (1967) and Pistols and Roses
Pistols and Roses
Pistols and Roses is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Happy Alter, he was sired by Darn That Alarm, whose sire, Jig Time, was a son of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Native Dancer...
(1992), swept all three events.
Inaugurated in 1934 as the Bahamas Handicap,it was run in two divisions in 1952, 1953, and 1969.
By the mid 1980s, the racing dates available to Hialeak Park track forced a rescheduling of the race and as such it would rarely be contested by Triple Crown hopefuls. Hialeah Park closed permanently after the 2001 racing season.
Racenotes
The 1937 winner, No Sir, was owned and trained by twenty-three-year-old Mary Hirsch who on April 2, 1935 became the first female to receive a trainers license.The great Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse.Bred by the Wheatley Stable of Gladys Mills Phipps, Bold Ruler was foaled on April 6, 1954 at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky to Nasrullah and Miss Disco by Discovery...
equalled the track record in his 1957 win. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30B10F73954177B93C3AA178AD85F438585F9
Four horses who were beaten in the Bahamas Stakes went on to win the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
:
- Tim TamTim Tam (horse)Tim Tam was an American thoroughbred racehorse. Sired by Tom Fool and out of the great racing mare Two Lea , the dark bay colt was owned and bred by Calumet Farm...
(1958) - Venetian WayVenetian WayVenetian Way was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1960 Kentucky Derby. Bred in Kentucky by John W. Greathouse, he was purchased by Chicago, Illinois businessman Isaac Blumberg who raced him under the nom de course of Sunny Blue Farm.Venetian Way was trained by Victor...
(1960) - Carry BackCarry BackCarry Back by Saggy out of Joppy, was an American Hall of Fame thoroughbred racehorse with a less than stellar pedigree but who nonetheless won many important graded stakes races including the 1961 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. His racing colors were blue, silver hoops and sleeves...
(1961) - Forward PassForward Pass (horse)Forward Pass was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse who is the only horse in the history of the Kentucky Derby to have been declared the winner as the result of a disqualification....
(1968)