The Cardinal Handicap is an American 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 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...

 during its fall meet. The Grade III

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...

T Cardinal is open to 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....

 and mare

Mare (horse)

A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...

s three-years-old and up and set at a distance of one and one eighth mile on the 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 ...

.

At its current distance of nine furlongs, Miss Caerleona holds the record of 1:47.81.

In its 37th running in 2010, it offers a purse of $100,000 added.

Past winners

• 2011 - Deluxe (4) (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...
  
  )
• 2010 - Askbut I Wonttell (4)
• 2009 - Acoma (4) (Jesus Castanon
  Jesus Castanon
  Jesus Lopez Castanon is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing who won the 2011 Preakness Stakes. The son of a horse trainer, two brothers were also jockeys in Mexico. Castanon got his first win at Agua Caliente Racetrack in 1989 and later that year in the United States, won the Torrey...
  
  )
• 2008 - Indescribable (4) (Kent Desormeaux
  Kent Desormeaux
  Kent Jason Desormeaux is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who holds the U.S. record for most races won in a single year, 1989.-Brief biography:...
  
  )
• 2007 - Criminologist (4) (John Velazquez)
• 2006 - Sabellina
• 2005 - Sundrop (JPN) (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...
  
  )
• 2004 - Aud (Brice Blanc)
• 2003 - Riskaverse (Cornelio Velasquez
  Cornelio Velásquez
  Cornelio H. Velásquez is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He was introduced to horse racing at age fifteen by trainer Carlos Salazar Guardia in his native Panama and enrolled in the national jockey school...
  
  )
• 2002 - Quick Tip (4)
• 2001 - Watch (4) (Craig Perret
  Craig Perret
  Craig Perret is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding horses at age five and by seven was riding quarter horses in match races...
  
  )
• 2000 - Illiquidity
• 1999 - Pratella
• 1998 - B A Valentine
• 1997 - Colcon
• 1996 - Miss Caerleona
• 1995 - Apolda
• 1994 - Bold Ruritana
  Bold Ruritana
  Bold Ruritana Bold Ruritana Bold Ruritana (foaled 1990 in Ontario is a Canadian Thoroughbred Champion Filly racehorse. She was bred and raced by Minshall Farms, the successful horse farm at Hillsburgh, Ontario owned and managed by trainer Barbara Minshall and her husband, Aubrey....
  
  
• 1993 - River Ball
• 1992 - Auto Dial
• 1991 - Christiecat
• 1990 - Dance For Lucy
• 1989 - Townsend Lass
• 1988 - Top Corsage
• 1987 - Lake Champlain
• 1986 - Oriental
• 1985 - Mrs. Revere
• 1984 - Electric Fanny
• 1983 - Charge My Account
• 1982 - Promising Native
• 1981 - Knights Beauty
• 1980 - Vite View
• 1979 - Impetuous Gal
• 1978 - Love to Tell
• 1977 - Likely Exchange
• 1976 - Hope of Glory
• 1975 - Vizier
• 1974 - Cut The Talk