The Shawnee Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares aged four and older, on the dirt over a distance of miles held annually in late May or early June at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The event currently offers a purse of $275,000.
History
The event is named after the Shawnee, who are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands where currently Louisville is located.
The event was inaugurated on 23 July 1983 as an event for fillies and mares of age three and older, and run over a distance of one mile and was won by Everett Lowrance's Leader Miss. Leader Miss was a longshot starting at odds of 12/1 was ridden by jockey Keith Allen, led almost all the way, opening up a lead of three lengths before winning by a length over Kitchen with Queen Of Song in third place in a time of 1:36.
The following year the event was won by the Grade I winning mare Try Something New who started as a short 3/10 odds-on favorite.
The event was discontinued and was idle for thirty-six years when in 2020 it was reintroduced over slightly longer distance of miles.
In 2023 the event was upgraded by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to a Grade III. The event was upgraded again to Grade II status in 2026.
Records Speed record miles: 1:42.07 – Splendora (2026) 1 mile: 1:36.70 – Leader Miss (1983)
Margins lengths – Envoutante (2021)
Most wins by a jockey 2 – Flavien Prat (2025, 2026)
Most wins by a trainer No trainer has won the event more than once
Most wins by an owner 2 – Juddmonte Farms (2023, 2024)
Winners Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer Owner Distance Time Purse Grade Ref2026 Splendora 5 Flavien Prat Bob Baffert Boyd Racing & By Talla Racing miles1:42.07$263,500II 2025 Royal Spa 5 Flavien Prat Rodolphe Brisset Breffni Farm miles1:42.20$275,000III2024 Scylla 4 Javier Castellano William I. Mott Juddmonte Farms miles1:42.38$275,000III2023 Idiomatic 4 Florent Geroux Brad H. Cox Juddmonte Farms miles1:42.13$224,750III2022 She's All Wolfe 5 Francisco Arrieta Donnie Von Hemel Robert H. Zoellner miles 1:43.34$179,500Listed2021Envoutante 4Kenneth G. McPeekWalking L Thoroughbreds & Three Chimneys Farm miles1:42.59$150,000 2020Dunbar Road4José OrtizChad C. BrownPeter M. Brant miles1:43.65$100,000 1985–2019Race not held19845Garth PattersonJohn A. Bell III1 mile1:38:00$41,250 1983Leader Miss4Keith AllenJames J. EckroshEverett Lowrance1 mile1:36.80$40,550
See also List of American and Canadian Graded races
References