- Source: Vagrancy Stakes
The Vagrancy Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are four years old and older run over a distance of 6+1⁄2 furlongs on the dirt track held annually in late May or early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
History
The race is named in honor of Vagrancy, the Champion three-year-old filly and champion handicap mare of 1942 owned by Belair Stud and trained by Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons.
The event was inaugurated on 10 July 1948 at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York when Conniver easily won by five lengths over Harmonica in a time of 1:433⁄5 over a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles. Later that year Conniver was voted the 1948 American Champion Older Female Horse.
The event was idle from 1949 through 1951.
It was hosted by the Aqueduct track from inception through 1955 and again in 1960, 1963–1967, 1975, and 1977–1986. Over the years it has been contested at various distances: 1+1⁄16 miles in 1948 and 1952, 7 furlongs between 1953–1997 and 6+1⁄2 furlongs from 1998 to today.
In 1955, the Vagrancy Handicap was run in two divisions.
Between 1954 and 1960 the event was held in late summer.
The event was classified as a Grade III in 1973 and was upgraded to Grade II in 2002.
This race was downgraded to a Grade III for its 2014 running.
In 2023 the conditions of the event were change from a handicap to a stakes allowance. Hence, the name of the event was changed to Vagrancy Stakes.
Records
Speed record:
6+1⁄2 furlongs: 1:14.46 – Bear Fan (2004)
7 furlongs: 1:20.80 – Grecian Flight (1988)
Margins:
9 lengths – Bear Fan (2004)
Most wins:
2 – Sky Beauty (1994, 1995)
2 – Victim of Love (2020, 2021)
Most wins by a jockey:
5 – John Velazquez (1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2018)
Most wins by a trainer:
5 – H. Allen Jerkens (1968, 1969, 1989, 1994, 1995)
Most wins by an owner:
2 – Harry La Montagne (1948, 1957)
2 – Ethel D. Jacobs (1955, 1965)
2 – Calumet Farm (1956, 1961)
2 – Meadow Stable (1955, 1963)
2 – Wheatley Stable (1964, 1966)
2 – Hobeau Farm (1968, 1969)
2 – Eugene V. Klein (1986, 1987)
2 – Georgia E. Hofmann (1994, 1995)
2 – Tommy Town Thoroughbred (2020, 2021)
Winners
See also
List of American and Canadian Graded races