Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf
Encyclopedia
The Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf is a race
for thoroughbred
horses held in January at Santa Anita Park
in Arcadia, California
or at Gulfstream Park
in Hallandale Beach, Florida
. Half the eight races of the Sunshine Millions are run at one track and half at the other.
Open to four-year-olds and older fillies
and mare
s willing to race one and one/eighth miles on the turf
, the Filly & Mare Turf is an ungraded stakes
event but carries a purse of $500,000. This race is also known as the Warren's Thoroughbred Filly & Mare Turf (in 2006) as part of the eight-race Sunshine Millions
series.
In its 9th running in 2011, the series of races called the Sunshine Millions are restricted to horses bred either in Florida
or in California
and is the brainchild of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association
, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association, Inc., Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park, and Magna Entertainment Corporation.
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...
for 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...
horses held in January at Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
in Arcadia, California
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....
or at Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....
in Hallandale Beach, Florida
Hallandale Beach, Florida
Hallandale Beach is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, a worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,113...
. Half the eight races of the Sunshine Millions are run at one track and half at the other.
Open to four-year-olds and older 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 willing to race one and one/eighth miles on the turf
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...
, the Filly & Mare Turf is an ungraded stakes
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...
event but carries a purse of $500,000. This race is also known as the Warren's Thoroughbred Filly & Mare Turf (in 2006) as part of the eight-race Sunshine Millions
Sunshine Millions
The Sunshine Millions is a series of American races for thoroughbred horses held in January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California or at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida...
series.
In its 9th running in 2011, the series of races called the Sunshine Millions are restricted to horses bred either in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
or 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...
and is the brainchild of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association
California Thoroughbred Breeders Association
The California Thoroughbred Breeders Association , founded in 1937, is a non-profit organization committed to the advancement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing in California. It is governed by a board of 16 directors elected by the association's general membership...
, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association, Inc., Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park, and Magna Entertainment Corporation.
Past winners
- 2011 - Trip for A. J. (Fla-bred) (John Velazquez)
- 2010 - Tight Precision (Fla-bred) (Joel RosarioJoel RosarioJoel 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...
) - 2009 - Wild Promises (Fla-bred) (Aaron GryderAaron GryderAaron Tod Gryder is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.Growing up fifteen minutes away from the Santa Anita racetrack, as a boy Gryder had no contact with horses other than his father and his grandparents' interest in attending the nearby races...
) - 2008 - Quite a Bride (Fla-bred) (Garrett Gomez)
- 2007 - Miss Shop (Fla-bred) (Rafael Bejarano)
- 2006 - Moscow Burning (Cal-bred) (David R. FloresDavid R. FloresDavid Romero Flores is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.His father was a jockey and an exercise rider in Southern California....
) - 2005 - Valentine Dancer (Cal-bred) (Jon CourtJon CourtJon 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....
) - 2004 - Valentine Dancer (Cal-bred) (Jon CourtJon CourtJon 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....
) - 2003 - Stay Forever (Fla-bred) (Jose SantosJosé SantosJose Abon Santos is a retired Chilean thoroughbred jockey who has been honored by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in the United States.-Career:...
)