Breeders' Cup Marathon
| Grade II race | |
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The 2009 Marathon, won by Man of Iron (almost hidden on the rail) by a nose
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| Location | United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 2008 (as Breeders' Cup Marathon) |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | www |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 3⁄4 miles (14 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-years-old & up |
| Weight | Set Weights with allowances |
| Purse | $200,000 (2016) |
The Marathon Stakes, formerly known as the Breeders' Cup Marathon, is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race is a Set Weights with allowances race open to horses three years old and up, and contested on dirt at a distance of 1 3⁄4 miles. The race has a purse of US$200,000.
The race was originally established in 2008 as part of the annual Breeders' Cup World Championships with its inaugural running at a distance of 1 1⁄2 miles. The inaugural running took place on the second day of the Breeders' Cup on the Pro-Ride synthetic dirt at the 2008 host track, Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.
In 2009, the distance was extended by 2 furlongs to 1 3⁄4 miles.
Due to technical requirements, the race was not eligible for classification as a graded stakes race in its first two runnings. It received Grade III status effective in 2010. The race was upgraded to Grade II status for 2011. The race was originally run under Weight for Age conditions.
Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup developed "The Breeders' Cup Challenge", a series of races in each division that allotted automatic qualifying bids to winners of defined races.
Each of the divisions has between one and ten of these, "Win and You're In," qualifying races.
In the Breeders' Cup Marathon Division, runners were limited to 14 and there was one automatic berth.
The "Win and You're In" race was:
1. the Clasico Belgrano, a grade 2 race at Hipodromo Argentino de Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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