American Oaks Stakes
| Grade 1 race | |
 |
|
| Location |
Santa Anita Park Arcadia, California, USA (relocated from the now closed Hollywood Park Racetrack Inglewood, California) |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 2002 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | Santa Anita Park |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 1⁄4 miles (2,000 meters) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Invitational, Fillies age Three |
| Weight | Northern Hemisphere Fillies 121 lbs / Southern Hemisphere Fillies 125 lbs |
| Purse | $300,000 (2016) |
The American Oaks (formerly the American Oaks Invitational Stakes) is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, USA. It was originally run at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California), which closed in 2014. Previously held in early summer, in 2016 the race was rescheduled to December. Open to three-year-old fillies, it is contested at a distance of one and a quarter miles on turf.
Since its inception in 2002, it has striven to become a world class race by bringing in some of the best fillies from all over the world, currently offering a purse of US $300,000.
The American Oaks was first run as a Grade I event in 2004. It was not elibible for grading during the first two runnings.
The race was originally run at 1 1⁄4 miles but in 2016 was cut back to 1 1⁄8 miles to prevent runners from having to race down the Santa Anita hillside turf course and cross the dirt main track. It returned to 1 1⁄4 miles in 2017.
Most wins by a jockey:
Most wins by a trainer:
The inaugural running of the American Oaks ended with a disqualification, as Dublino was disqualified from first place to second after several incidents happened with Megahertz (GB) on the track.
After an inquiry, it was shown that Dublino had bumped Megahertz in the stretch drive, and then the whip of jockey Kent Desormeaux hit Megahertz twice in the face, making Megahertz end the race a half-length behind.
Following a win in the Matriarch Stakes with Dress To Thrill (IRE), Dermot Weld pushed for another win at Hollywood Park, as Dimitrova under David R. Flores drove to a win at the second running of the American Oaks, defeating Sand Springs.
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