The Gardenia Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run at Garden State Park Racetrack near Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Created in 1955, the event was the world's richest race for two-year-old fillies with a total purse of US$130,300 in its inaugural year. It was the counterpart to the Garden State Futurity for two-year-old male horses.
The Gardenia Stakes was placed on hiatus after the 1972 edition. It would be revived in 1980 at the Meadowlands Racetrack where it would be run thru to the final running in 1991. In 1990 only, the race was run on Turf.
Historical notes The inaugural running of the Gardenia Stakes took on a muddy track place on October 15, 1955 and was won by Nasrina who would be recognized as that year's American Co-Champion Two-Year-Old Filly. The substantial purse, as well as the Gardenia's place on the American racing calendar late in the year, would see the event won by fillies that would be voted National Champion honors for thirteen of its first eighteen runnings from 1955 thru 1972. Until 1970 there were three different racing organizations picking an annual National Champion and only two Gardenia winners prior to 1971, Castle Forbes in 1963 and Gallant Bloom in 1968, were not unanimous choices.The Bloodhorse.com Champion's history charts
Gardenia winner Numbered Account, owned by Ogden Phipps and trained by Roger Laurin was the first Eclipse Award recipient in the two-year-old filly category. The following year, the future Hall of Fame inductee La Prevoyante won the Gardenia. Owned by Canadian J. Louis Lévesque and trained by Yonnie Starr, it was her final start of 1972 and marked her twelfth straight win without a loss. La Prevoyante would prove to be the last Gardenia winner to earn American Champion Two Year-Old Filly honors. In that year's voting for American Horse of the Year, La Prevoyante was second to Secretariat.
Flawlessly, a daughter of 1978 U.S. Triple Crown winner Affirmed, won the 1990 Gardenia and went on to a stellar career that saw her inducted into the U. S. Racing Hall of Fame in 2004.
No. Winner Gardenia winner & 2yo U.S. Champion filly 11955Nasrina21957Idun31958Quill41959My Dear Girl51960Bowl of Flowers61961Cicada71963 Castle Forbes81964Queen Empress91965Moccasin101968Gallant Bloom111969Fast Attack121971Numbered Account131972La Prevoyante
Records Speed record: 1:43.00 @ 1-1/16 miles: Princess Rooney (1982)
Most wins by a jockey: 3 - Bill Shoemaker (1960, 1961, 1964)
Most wins by a trainer: 3 - Casey Hayes (1961, 1966, 1967) 3 - Woody Stephens (1985, 1988, 1989)
Most wins by an owner: 3 - Meadow Stable (1961, 1966, 1967)
Winners Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer Owner (Miles) Time Win$ Gr.1991Miss Legality2Joe BravoHubert "Sonny" HineNorton D. Waltuch1-1/16 m1:45.55$45,000G31990Flawlessly2Jerry D. BaileyRichard E. Dutrow Sr.Harbor View Farm1-1/16 m1:43.60$75,000G31989Danzig's Beauty2Eddie MapleWoody StephensRussell L. Reineman1-1/16 m1:46.40$120,000G21988Gild2Julie KroneWoody StephensClaiborne Farm1-1/16 m1:44.00$120,000G21987Thirty Eight Go Go2Kent DesormeauxKing T. LeatherburyJanet Wayson1-1/16 m1:46.80$120,000G21986Collins2George MartensFlint S. SchulhoferFrances A. Genter1-1/16 m1:45.20$120,000G21985I'm Sweets2Eddie MapleWoody StephensBrushwood Stable (Elizabeth Ranney Moran)1-1/16 m1:44.20$120,000G21984Bessarabian2Gary StahlbaumMichael J. DoyleEaton Hall Farm (Thor Eaton)1-1/16 m1:45.80$120,000G21983Lucky Lucky Lucky2Angel Cordero Jr.D. Wayne LukasLeslie Combs II1-1/16 m1:45.20$120,000G21982Princess Rooney2Jacinto VasquezFrank GomezPaula J. Tucker1-1/16 m1:43.00$120,000G21981Vain Gold2Gregg McCarronSally A. BailieAisco Stable1-1/16 m1:43.80$90,000G31980Carolina Command2Jimmy J. MirandaJames J. Pascuma Jr.Marian S. Feldman1-1/16 m1:44.60$90,0001973 - 1979 Race not held1972La Prevoyante2John LeBlancYonnie StarrJean-Louis Lévesque1-1/16 m1:47.40$114,5521971Numbered Account2Braulio BaezaRoger LaurinOgden Phipps1-1/16 m1:45.80$110,6251970Eggy2Frank Lovato Sr.Oscar WhiteWalter M. Jeffords Jr.1-1/16 m1:45.00$113,0161969Fast Attack2Buck ThornburgHarry M. WellsHal-Bar Ranch (Mr. Hickey, Paul Robinson, William M. Ayers)1-1/16 m1:46.20$120,2651968Gallant Bloom2John L. RotzMax HirschRobert J. Kleberg Jr.1-1/16 m1:45.80$110,1421967Gay Matelda2Robert UsseryCasey HayesMeadow Stable1-1/16 m1:45.80$112,7221966Pepperwood2Robert UsseryCasey HayesMeadow Stable1-1/16 m1:44.60$117,6121965Moccasin2Larry AdamsHarry TrotsekClaiborne Farm1-1/16 m1:44.40$110,2141964Queen Empress2Bill ShoemakerBill WinfreyWheatley Stable1-1/16 m1:44.00$112,8541963 Castle Forbes2Ismael ValenzuelaBill WinfreyWheatley Stable1-1/16 m1:45.40$101.0761962Main Swap2Braulio BaezaCharles R. ParkeFred W. Hooper1-1/16 m1:46.40$95,9771961Cicada2Bill ShoemakerCasey HayesMeadow Stable1-1/16 m1:44.80$91,1311960Bowl of Flowers2Bill ShoemakerJ. Elliott BurchBrookmeade Stable1-1/16 m1:46.00$90,6231959My Dear Girl2Manuel N. GonzalesMelvin CalvertFrances A. Genter1-1/16 m1:46.60$79,3041958Quill2Paul J. BaileyLucien LaurinReginald N. Webster1-1/16 m1:45.20$81,5761957Idun2Bill HartackSherrill W. WardJosephine Bay Paul1-1/16 m1:45.40$101,7501956Magic Forest †2Hedley WoodhouseSylvester VeitchCornelius Vanderbilt Whitney1-1/16 m1:45.20$93,5501955Nasrina2William BolandEdward A. ChristmasHowell E. Jackson III1-1/16 m1:45.40$87,575
* † Romanita finished first, but was disqualified and set back to third.
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