Forerunner Stakes
Encyclopedia
The Forerunner Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race
run annually during the third week of April at Keeneland Race Course
in Lexington, Kentucky
. Open to three-year-old horses, it is contested on turf
over a distance of one and one-eighth miles (9 furlong
s).
Inaugurated in 1950, the Forerunner Stakes was raced on dirt through 1988. Run at a distance of seven furlong
s from 1950 through 1985, from 1986 through 1988 it was contested at 1 1/16 miles. During this era, many of the top three-year-olds won this race. Your Host
, sire of the legendary Kelso
, won the first running in 1950. He was followed by other notable winners such as Fabius
(1956), Iron Liege
(1957), Tim Tam
(1958), Tomy Lee
, (1959), Tompion
(1960), Four-and-Twenty
(1961), Never Bend
(1963), Hill Rise
(1964), Ack Ack
(1969), Elocutionist
(1976), Devil's Bag
(1984), and on grass, Izvestia
(1990).
The race was shifted permanently to the turf
in 1989 and set at a distance of 1⅛ miles.
A Listed race in 1986 and 1987, it was upgraded to a Grade III
event in 1988 but was downgraded to listed status again in 1999.
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 during the third week of April at Keeneland Race Course
Keeneland
Keeneland is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and sales complex in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. Operated by the Keeneland Association, Inc., it is also known for its reference library on the sport, which contains more than 10,000 volumes, an extensive videocassette collection, and a substantial...
in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. Open to three-year-old horses, it is contested 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 ...
over a distance of one and one-eighth miles (9 furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
s).
Inaugurated in 1950, the Forerunner Stakes was raced on dirt through 1988. Run at a distance of seven furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
s from 1950 through 1985, from 1986 through 1988 it was contested at 1 1/16 miles. During this era, many of the top three-year-olds won this race. Your Host
Your Host (horse)
Your Host was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Foaled in California, he was by the imported British stallion Alibhai out of the Irish mare Boudoir by the French stallion Mahmoud. Bred in the stables of Louis B. Mayer , Your Host was owned by Mayer's son-in-law and trained by Harry L. Daniels...
, sire of the legendary Kelso
Kelso (horse)
Kelso was an American thoroughbred race horse considered among the best racehorses of the 20th century. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by The Blood-Horse magazine Kelso ranks 4th, behind only Man o' War , Secretariat and Citation...
, won the first running in 1950. He was followed by other notable winners such as Fabius
Fabius (horse)
Fabius was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1956 Preakness Stakes.-Background:Bred and raced by Lexington, Kentucky's Calumet Farm, Fabius was out of the mare Shameen, a daughter of the British Eclipse Stakes winner Royal Minstrel who was a son of the 2,000 Guineas...
(1956), Iron Liege
Iron Liege
Iron Liege was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1957 Kentucky Derby. A son of Calumet Farm's leading sire Bull Lea, and out of the mare Iron Maiden, his damsire was the 1937 U.S...
(1957), Tim Tam
Tim Tam (horse)
Tim Tam was an American thoroughbred racehorse. Sired by Tom Fool and out of the great racing mare Two Lea , the dark bay colt was owned and bred by Calumet Farm...
(1958), Tomy Lee
Tomy Lee
Tomy Lee was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1959 Kentucky Derby defeating Sword Dancer, First Landing, Royal Orbit and the filly Silver Spoon....
, (1959), Tompion
Tompion
Tompion was an American Thoroughbred race horse owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney. Immaculately bred, Tompion was the son of the Hall of Fame horse Tom Fool. His damsire was Count Fleet, the 1943 U.S. Triple Crown champion.Trained by Robert L...
(1960), Four-and-Twenty
Four-and-Twenty
Four-and-Twenty was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was red and raced by the Alberta Ranches, Ltd. partnership of Max Bell, Frank McMahon and superstar jockey Johnny Longden and his son, Vance. He was sired by a son of the two-time Leading sire in North America, Princequillo...
(1961), Never Bend
Never Bend
Never Bend was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse and a leading sire in England.-Two-Year-Old Champion:Foaled at Claiborne Farm for owner/breeder Harry F. Guggenheim, Never Bend was the dominant two-year-old racing in the United States in 1962...
(1963), Hill Rise
Hill Rise
Hill Rise was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. He was bred at El Peco Ranch in Madera, California by George A. Pope, Jr. who also owned and bred 1962 Kentucky Derby winner Decidedly...
(1964), Ack Ack
Ack Ack (horse)
Ack Ack was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse. He raced with success at age two to four, scoring wins in the important 1969 Withers Stakes and Arlington Classic. In 1971 at age five, Ack Ack blossomed into the year's most dominant horse...
(1969), Elocutionist
Elocutionist (horse)
Elocutionist was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series. Bred by Josephine Abercrombie's Pin Oak Stud and foaled at her Versailles, Kentucky farm, his sire was the multiple stakes winner, Gallant Romeo, a son of U.S. Racing Hall of...
(1976), Devil's Bag
Devil's Bag
Devil's Bag was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse who was syndicated as a two-year-old for US$36 million, the highest price for any 2-year-old in racing history.Bred by Canadian E. P...
(1984), and on grass, Izvestia
Izvestia (horse)
Izvestia was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Canadian Triple Crown in 1990. A descendant of Nearco, his damsire Personality was the 1970 Co-American Horse of the Year. Owned and bred by Kinghaven Farms, the colt began racing in the United States, winning two Graded stakes races at the...
(1990).
The race was shifted permanently to 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 ...
in 1989 and set at a distance of 1⅛ miles.
A Listed race in 1986 and 1987, it was upgraded to a 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...
event in 1988 but was downgraded to listed status again in 1999.