The Honeymoon Handicap is an American 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...

 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 in the first week of June at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California

Inglewood, California

Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...

. The race is open to three-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....

, willing to race one and one-eighth miles 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 ...

. The Honeymoon is a major leading prep race for the Grade I American Oaks

American Oaks

The American Oaks Invitational Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early July at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California...

 run during the first part of July.

Inaugurated in 1952 as the Sea Breeze Stakes, the name was changed to the Honeymoon Stakes in 1956 then the Honeymoon Handicap in 1975. It honors the outstanding California bred mare, Honeymoon

Honeymoon (horse)

Honeymoon was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the first California-bred filly to surpass the $100,000 mark in earnings and who retired with earnings of $387,760. The June 22, 1946 issue of the Los Angeles Times called Honeymoon the "best filly ever bred in California." She was bred and...

.

Since inception, the race has been contested at a variety of distances:

• 1 mile : 1964
• 1 ¹/16 miles : 1971-1995
• 1⅛ miles : 1996-1999, 2002–present
• 1¼ miles : 1952-1963, 1965–1970, 2001

Winners since 1997

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2011	Sarah's Secret	Rafael Bejarano	Kathy Walsh	Joan Hadley Thoroughbreds/Kirkwoods	1:50.04
2010	Evening Jewel Evening Jewel Evening Jewel is an American Thoroughbred racehorse by Northern Afleet out of Jewel of the Night, by Giant's Causeway. Northern Afleet is also the sire of 2005 Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes winner Afleet Alex. Evening Jewel was bred by Betty L. Mabee and her son Larry Mabee and is trained...	Victor Espinoza Victor Espinoza Victor Espinoza is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He began riding in his native Mexico and earned his first win there in 1992 before moving the following year to compete at racetracks in California....	James M. Cassidy	Braly Family Trust	1:48.87
2009	Well Monied	Joel Rosario Joel Rosario Joel Rosario is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.Raised on a farm where he regularly road horses, Joel Rosario attended jockey school for six months. He obtained his professional license at age fourteen and began riding at Hipódromo V Centenario in Santo Domingo where he earned his...	Howard L. Zucker	Carl T. Grether	1:48.35
2008	Misty Ocean	Joel Rosario Joel Rosario Joel Rosario is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.Raised on a farm where he regularly road horses, Joel Rosario attended jockey school for six months. He obtained his professional license at age fourteen and began riding at Hipódromo V Centenario in Santo Domingo where he earned his...	Jerry Hollendorfer Jerry Hollendorfer Jerry Hollendorfer is an American Thoroughbred racehorse owner and trainer. He has the most wins in the history of Northern California race horse trainers....	Jim Plemmons	1:47.56
2007	Valbenny	Alex Solis Alex Solis Alex O. Solis is a jockey based in the United States. He currently lives in Glendora, California and rides predominantly in Southern California...	Paddy Gallagher	A racing partnership	1:48.17
2006	Attima	Victor Espinoza Victor Espinoza Victor Espinoza is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He began riding in his native Mexico and earned his first win there in 1992 before moving the following year to compete at racetracks in California....	Julio C. Canani	Fanticola/Scardino	1:47.36
2005	Three Degrees	Gary Stevens	Paddy Gallagher	Harlequin Ranches et al	1:46.84
2004	Lovely Rafaela	Victor Espinoza Victor Espinoza Victor Espinoza is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He began riding in his native Mexico and earned his first win there in 1992 before moving the following year to compete at racetracks in California....	Paulo Lobo	TNT Stud	1:49.96
2003	Quero Quero	Tyler Baze Tyler Baze Tyler Baze is an American Champion jockey. Born into a racing family, both of his parents were jockeys as is his uncle, Gary Baze. His second cousin is U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey, Russell Baze....	Paulo Lobo	Old Friends Inc.	1:49.34
2002	Megahertz Megahertz (horse) Megahertz is a Thoroughbred racehorse who raced in France and the United States.Raced at age two, Megahertz made eight starts, compiling a record of 1-1-2. Her only win came in the Prix Hotel du Golf Barriere at the Deauville-La Touques Racecourse...	Pat Valenzuela Pat Valenzuela Patrick Angel Valenzuela is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Born into a racing family, his father plus three of his uncles, including Ismael Valenzuela, were jockeys. He rode his first career winner on November 10, 1978, at Sunland Park Racetrack in Sunland Park, New Mexico...	Robert J. Frankel	Michael Bello	1:51.97
2001	Innit	Chris McCarron Chris McCarron Christopher John "Chris" McCarron is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He is currently working as a racing analyst for TVG Network....	Ron McAnally Ron McAnally Ronald L. McAnally is an American Hall of Fame trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing. Called "one of the most honored and respected of North American trainers" by Thoroughbred Times Co., Inc, as a child, he and his four siblings were placed in an orphanage following the death of their mother...	Richard Duchossois Richard L. Duchossois Richard L. "Dick" Duchossois is an American businessman and racehorse owner. He was the founder and Chairman of The Duchossois Group, Inc., a family-owned company headquartered in Elmhurst, Illinois that is known for its ownership stakes in Arlington Park and Churchill Downs race tracks, as well...	2:01.28
2000	Clasy Cara	Iggy Puglisi	Douglas F. O'Neill Douglas F. O'Neill Douglas F. "Doug" O'Neill is an American Thoroughbred horse trainer.In 1986 he began working in Thoroughbred horse racing as a stable hand and eventually a training assistant...	D. Stathatos/J. Zamora	1:48.05
1999	Sweet Ludy	Gary Stevens	Jenine Sahadi	Team Valor Team Valor Team Valor Stable LLC is an American Thoroughbred horse racing stable based in Versailles, Kentucky. It was founded by Barry Irwin and Jeff Siegel who create partnerships with racing enthusiasts to race Thoroughbred horses at major racing venues, primarily in North America.In early July 2007,...	1:48.05
1998	Country Garden	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:...	Walter Greenman	Ed McGrath	1:48.74
1997	Famous Digger	Brice Blanc Brice Blanc Brice Blanc is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.Blanc attended a jockey's apprentice school in his native France then, encouraged by trainer Ben Cecil, in October 1993 emigrated to the United States where he settled in Southern California and began racing at area tracks...	Barry Abrams Barry Abrams Barry Abrams is an American trainer in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing.When he was young, his family left Minsk at a time when it was part of the Soviet Union. They first relocated in Poland but then moved to Israel in 1961...	Let It Ride Stable	1:47.68

Earlier winners

‡ In 1993, the race was run off the turf, but retained its GIII status.

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