Norfolk Stakes (United States)

Norfolk Stakes (United States)

The FrontRunner is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of September during the Oak Tree Racing Association meet at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A Grade I event, it is open to two-year-old horses willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt.

This race is a Road to the Kentucky Derby Prep Season qualifying race. The winner receives 10 points toward qualifying for the Kentucky Derby.

The race is currently part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series. The winner will automatically qualify for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

First run in 1970, it was formerly a Grade I event but eventually became a Grade II near the end of the 1990s. However, the American Graded Stakes Committee announced its return to Grade I status for 2007.

The race was run over a distance of 1 mile from 1997 through 2001. It was run in two divisions in 1980.

As of 2012, this race was renamed as FrontRunner Stakes having formerly being referred to as the Norfolk Stakes.