The Distaff Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are four years old or older at a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt run annually in early April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. The event currently offers a purse of $175,000.

History

The event was inaugurated on 28 June 1954 as the Distaff Handicap at the old Aqueduct racetrack, and was won by Robert S. Howard's British mare Mab's Choice, who was trained by the future US Hall of Fame trainer Charles E. Whittingham in a time of 1:242⁄5.^[1] Mab's Choice was a 20-1 longshot in the field who had not won a race in two years came through with a late drive to win by 1⁄2 length.^[1]

After the 1955 season the old Aqueduct track was close for reconstruction for a period of four years.^[2] During the four years from 1956 to 1959 the event was held at Belmont Park during the summer or late spring.

On Wednesday, 20 April 1960 the event was scheduled back at the new Aqueduct racetrack and 29,195 were on hand to see the odds-on favorite Mommy Dear win by 2 lengths.^[3]

The event was run in two split divisions in 1964.^[4] This was only time that the event was run in split divisions.^[5]

In 1973 the first year the classification system was enacted, the event was set with Grade III status.^[6]

In 1989 the event was upgraded as Grade II.^[7]

The event has been run at a shorter distance of 6 furlongs in several times and on the inter dirt track in 1994 and from 2006 to 2009.^[7]

The event was scheduled for 13 March 1993 but postponed twice due to bad weather before finally being cancelled.^[8]

In 2016 the event was downgraded to Grade III status.^[6]

In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Aqueduct closed their track and the event was cancelled.^[9]

In 2024 the conditions of the event were changed from handicap to stakes allowance and this the events name was modified to the Distaff Stakes.^[7]

Records

Speed record:

• 7 furlongs – 1:21.18 Devil's Orchid (1991)
• 6 furlongs – 1:09.10 La Verdad (2014)

Margins:

• 14 lengths – Ride Sally (1986)

Most wins:

• 2 – La Verdad (2014, 2015)
• 2 – Happy Princess (1958, 1959)

Most wins by a jockey:

• 4 – Ángel Cordero Jr. (1976, 1983, 1984, 1987)
• 4 – Richard Migliore (1997, 1998, 2004, 2005)

Most wins by a trainer:

• 3 – Claude R. McGaughey III (1988, 1995, 1999)
• 3 – Linda L. Rice (2014, 2015, 2018)

Most wins by an owner:

• 3 – Lady Sheila Stable (2014, 2015, 2018)

Winners