Swynford Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late September at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. One of the track's top races for North American two-year-olds, it is raced on dirt over a distance of seven furlongs.
Inaugurated in 1956 at Greenwood Raceway as a race for horses aged three and up, in 1967 it was moved to Woodbine Racetrack where it was modified to its current status as a race restricted to two-year-olds.
In 1982, the Swynford Stakes was won by Sunny's Halo who went on to win the 1983 Kentucky Derby. The 1997 Belmont Stakes winner Touch Gold ran second to Holzmeister in the 1996 running of the Swynford.
Since inception, the Swynford Stakes has been run at various distances:
At Greenwood Raceway:
- 1956 : 6 furlongs
- 1957 : 6½ furlongs
- 1958-1960 : 7 furlongs
- 1961-1966 : 1 mile
At Woodbine Racetrack:
- 1967-1970 : 5 furlongs
- 1971-1972 : 5½ furlongs
- 1973-1975 : 6 furlongs
- 1976-1979 : 5 furlongs
- 1980-1985 : 7 furlongs
1986-1995 : 6½ furlongs 1996 to present : 7 furlongs
Read more about Swynford Stakes: Records, Winners of The Swynford Stakes
Famous quotes containing the word stakes:
“Law makes long spokes of the short stakes of men.”
—William Empson (1906–1984)