The Locust Grove Handicap is an American 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...

 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...

 held 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 late June/early July at 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...

. Raced on 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 a distance of 1⅛ miles (9 furlongs), it 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 mares

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...

, three years of age and older.

In 1982 the race was run at a distance of one mile then the following year changed to 11/16 and was raced at that distance until 1990 when it was increased to its present 1⅛ miles.

In winning the 2003 running of the Locust Grove Handicap, Ipi Tombe

Ipi Tombe

Ipi Tombe is a champion Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was bred by Peter J. Moor, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Thoroughbred Breeders Association of Zimbabwe...

 became the first horse bred in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...

 to ever win a race at Churchill Downs.

Records

Time record: (at present distance of 1⅛ miles)

• 1:46.75 - Shaconage (2004)

Most wins:

• 2 - Colstar
  Colstar
  Colstar is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Sired by the 1991 Breeders' Cup Mile winner, Opening Verse, she was out of the mare Ascend, a daughter of Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner, Risen Star....
  
   (2000, 2001)

Winners of the Locust Grove Handicap since 1999

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2010	Danzon	7	Alex O. Solis	James E. Baker	Alfred H. Nuckols, Jr	1:37.02
2009	Closeout	4	Robby Albarado Robby Albarado Robby J. Albarado is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding at the age of 12 at bush tracks in his native Louisiana and after turning professional, earned his first win at Evangeline Downs in 1990...	Thomas F. Proctor Thomas F. Proctor Thomas F. Proctor is an American trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses who won the 1994 edition of the Breeders' Cup Distaff with One Dreamer....	Glen Hill Farm	1:38.38
2008	Genuine Devotion	4	Alan Garcia Alan Garcia (jockey) Alan Garcia is a thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He was Peru's leading apprentice jockey in 2003 and in that same year he began racing in the United States at the Meadowlands Racetrack where he was also the leading apprentice. His father and grandfather were both jockeys in Peru...	Kiaran McLaughlin Kiaran McLaughlin Kiaran P. McLaughlin is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He currently has a blog website, at http://kiaranmclaughlin.com where he updates what horses he has racing for that particular day...	James Barry	1:35.76
2007	Mauralakana	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...	Patrick L. Biancone	M Hassan, L. Lakin et al.	1:47.99
2006	Rich In Spirit	4	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...	Thomas F. Proctor Thomas F. Proctor Thomas F. Proctor is an American trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses who won the 1994 edition of the Breeders' Cup Distaff with One Dreamer....	Glen Hill Farm	1:50.00
2005	Delta Princess	6	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...	William I. Mott	Saud bin Khaled	1:48.90
2004	Shaconage	4	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...	Mitch Shirota	Andrena Van Doren	1:46.75
2003	Ipi Tombe Ipi Tombe Ipi Tombe is a champion Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was bred by Peter J. Moor, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Thoroughbred Breeders Association of Zimbabwe...	5	Pat Day Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...	W. Elliott Walden W. Elliott Walden W. Elliott Walden is the President and CEO of racing operations for WinStar Farm near Versailles, Kentucky and a former Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.From a racing family, Walden grew up in the industry...	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,...  et al.	1:47.70
2002	VooDoo Dancer	4	Jose A. Santos	Christophe Clement Christophe Clement Christophe Clement is a Thoroughbred horse trainer in the United States.- Racing background :Christophe Clement initially acquired his training skills from father Miguel, a leading trainer in France, Christophe later worked for the prominent French racing family of trainer Alec Head...	Green Hills Farm	1:46.91
2001	Colstar Colstar Colstar is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Sired by the 1991 Breeders' Cup Mile winner, Opening Verse, she was out of the mare Ascend, a daughter of Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner, Risen Star....	5	Jon Court Jon Court Jon Kenton Court is an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing.Having grown up in Florida, Jon Court began riding in Colorado at the now closed Centennial Park in 1980....	Paul Fout	Beverly R. Steinman	1:48.79
2000	Colstar Colstar Colstar is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Sired by the 1991 Breeders' Cup Mile winner, Opening Verse, she was out of the mare Ascend, a daughter of Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner, Risen Star....	4	Alberto Delgado Alberto Delgado Alberto Delgado y Pérez is a Cuban soccer player. As of 2005, he plays as a forward for Sevilla FC Puerto Rico of the Puerto Rico Soccer League.-Defection to the United States:...	Paul Fout	Beverly R. Steinman	1:47.44
1999	Shires Ende	4	Willie Martinez Willie Martinez (jockey) Willie Martinez is a jockey in North American Thoroughbred horse racing.Martinez was born in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, but emigrated to the United States in 1988 to work as a hotwalker and groom for his sister's godfather at Finger Lakes Race Track in Farmington, New York...	Richard R. Scherer	Carolyn Friedberg	1:49.11