Bay Meadows Derby
Encyclopedia
The Bay Meadows Derby is an American
Thoroughbred
horse race for three-year-old horses of either gender on the Longden
Turf Course
at Bay Meadows Racetrack. Bay Meadows is in San Mateo, California
where it opened in 1934 and is home to the longest-running stakes event in California
: the Bay Meadows Handicap begun the same year as the track itself. (In 1937 and in 1938, Seabiscuit
, ridden by the great jockey
George Woolf
, won the Handicap.)
During the Second World War tracks everywhere closed, but not Bay Meadows. The lights were on and the horses were racing in the darkest days of the war.
The Bay Meadows Derby first ran in 1954 on the dirt. That year's winner of the Kentucky Derby
won the first Bay Meadows Derby, the California-bred Determine. In 1957, Round Table (horse)
won the race, the first of many as a three-year old.
The Derby, revived in 1978 at one and one/sixteenth mile, is a Grade III grass event set at one and one/eighth mile, and offers a purse of $100,000. Bay Meadows Racetrack sadly was closed for good in 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse race for three-year-old horses of either gender on the Longden
Johnny Longden
John Eric Longden was an American Hall of Fame jockey. He was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England but his father wanted to build a better life for his family so in 1909 emigrated to Canada, settling in Taber, Alberta. By 1912 Longden Sr. had saved enough money to send for his wife and young son...
Turf Course
Sod
Sod or turf is grass and the part of the soil beneath it held together by the roots, or a piece of thin material.The term sod may be used to mean turf grown and cut specifically for the establishment of lawns...
at Bay Meadows Racetrack. Bay Meadows is in San Mateo, California
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
where it opened in 1934 and is home to the longest-running stakes event in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
: the Bay Meadows Handicap begun the same year as the track itself. (In 1937 and in 1938, Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse in the United States. From an inauspicious start, Seabiscuit became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many Americans during the Great Depression...
, ridden by the great jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
George Woolf
George Woolf
George Monroe Woolf , nicknamed "The Ice Man", was a Canadian-born thoroughbred race horse jockey and the namesake of the annual jockey's award given by the United States Jockeys' Guild....
, won the Handicap.)
During the Second World War tracks everywhere closed, but not Bay Meadows. The lights were on and the horses were racing in the darkest days of the war.
The Bay Meadows Derby first ran in 1954 on the dirt. That year's winner of 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...
won the first Bay Meadows Derby, the California-bred Determine. In 1957, Round Table (horse)
Round Table (horse)
Round Table was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse. He is considered the greatest turf horse in American racing history. He was foaled at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, on the night of April 6, 1954...
won the race, the first of many as a three-year old.
The Derby, revived in 1978 at one and one/sixteenth mile, is a Grade III grass event set at one and one/eighth mile, and offers a purse of $100,000. Bay Meadows Racetrack sadly was closed for good in 2008.
Past winners
- 2007 - Unusual Suspect (Kyle Kaenel)
- 2006 - Proudinsky (Ger.) (Patrick Valenzuela)
- 2005 - Race Not Run
- 2004 - Congressionalhonor (Russell BazeRussell BazeRussell Avery Baze is a horse racing jockey. He holds the record for the most race wins in North American horse racing history, and is a member of the United States Racing Hall of Fame....
) - 2003 - Stanley Park (Eric Saint-Martin)
- 2002 - Royal Gem (Russell Baze)
- 2001 - Blue Stellar
- 2000 - Walkslikeaduck (Eddie DelahoussayeEddie DelahoussayeEdward J. Delahoussaye is a retired American Thoroughbred jockey from New Iberia, Louisiana.He began his career in 1968 and ten years later became the top American jockey with 384 wins...
) - 1999 - Mula Gula (Rafael Meza)
- 1998 - Takarian
- 1997 - Shellbacks
- 1996 - Ocean Queen
- 1995 - Virginia Carnival
- 1994 - Marvins Faith
- 1993 - Ranger
- 1992 - Star Recruit
- 1991 - Bistro Garden
- 1990 - Sekondi
- 1989 - Irish
- 1988 - Coax Me Clyde
- 1987 - Hot and Smoggy
- 1986 - Le Belvedere
- 1985 - Minutes Away
- 1984 - Mangaki
- 1983 - Interco
- 1982 - Ask Me
- 1981 - Silveyville
- 1980 - Fleet Tempo (Roberto Gonzalez}
- 1979 - Nain Bleu
- 1978 - Quip
- Race Not Run
- 1957 - Round Table
- 1954 - Determine