The Kelso Stakes, previously held as the Forbidden Apple Stakes, is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four years old and older held over a distance of one mile (8 furlongs) on the turf held annually in mid-July at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.
History
The inaugural event was named in honor of Forbidden Apple who won the 2001 Grade I Manhattan Handicap and won the Grade II Kelso Handicap twice.
The event's inaugural running was on Independence Day in 2014 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York as the seventh race on the ten race holiday card and was won by Shadwell Stable's Sayaad who defeated the favorite Kharafa in a five horse field by lengths in a time of 1:38.27 on a soft yielding turf track.
From 2014 until 2018 the event was held at Belmont Park.
In 2019 the event was moved to Saratoga. That same year the event was classified as Grade III by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.
In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, NYRA did not schedule the event in their Saratoga summer meeting.
In 2023 NYRA announced that the event would be renamed to the Kelso Stakes. The event was renamed in honor of Kelso, Allaire du Pont's five-time winner of American Horse of the Year honors. Kelso won the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park five times (1960–1964) consecutively at the then distance of 2 miles on the dirt.
Records Speed record: 1:31.67 – Voodoo Song (2018)
Margins: lengths – Disco Partner (2017)
Most wins: 2 – King Kreesa (2015, 2016)
Most wins by an owner: 2 – Gerald & Susan Kresa (2015, 2016)
Most wins by a jockey: 4 – José L. Ortiz (2014, 2017, 2025, 2026)
Most wins by a trainer: 2 – David G. Donk (2015, 2016) 2 – Christophe Clement (2017, 2022) 2 – Chad C. Brown (2024, 2026)
Winners Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer Owner Distance Time Purse Grade RefAt Saratoga – Kelso Stakes2026Zulu Kingdom (IRE)4Flavien PratChad C. BrownMadaket Stables , Michael Dubb, William Strauss, & Michael J. Caruso1 mile 1:34.08$225,000IIIMi Bago 4Jose L. OrtizMark E. CasseGary Barber2025Think Big 4Jose L. OrtizMichael StidhamGodolphin1 mile 1:32.81$175,000III2024Carl Spackler (IRE) 4Tyler GaffalioneChad C. Browne Five Racing Thoroughbreds1 mile1:34.72$162,750III2023Casa Creed 7Luis SaezWilliam I. MottLRE Racing, JEH Racing Stable 1 mile1:35.51$175,000IIIForbidden Apple Stakes2022City Man5Joel RosarioChristophe ClementReeves Thoroughbred Racing, Peter Searles, & Patty Searles1 mile1:33.76$175,000III2021Rinaldi 5Luis SaezH. James BondBond Racing Stable1 mile1:35.70$150,000III2020Race not held2019 5Catherine Day PhillpsSean & Dorothy Fitzhenry1 mile1:37.50$150,000IIIAt Belmont Park2018Voodoo Song 4Manuel FrancoLinda L. RiceBarry K. Schwartz1 mile1:31.67$150,000 Listed 2017Disco Partner 5Irad Ortiz Jr. Patricia A. Generazio1 mile1:33.49$150,000 Listed 2016King Kreesa 7Irad Ortiz Jr.David G. DonkGerald & Susan Kresa1 mile1:33.06$150,000 Listed 2015King Kreesa 6Jose L. OrtizDavid G. DonkGerald & Susan Kresa1 mile1:32.34$147,000 Listed 2014Sayaad 4Jose L. OrtizKiaran P. McLaughlin Shadwell Stable1 mile1:38.27$144,000
See also List of American and Canadian Graded races
References