Dixie Stakes
| Grade II race | |
The Dungannon Bowl, a 1955 replica of the original Annapolis Subscription Plate, awarded to the winner of the annual Dixie Stakes
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| Location |
Pimlico Race Course  Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1870 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | www.pimlico.com |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 1⁄8 miles (9 furlongs) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-years-old & up |
| Weight | Assigned |
| Purse | $250,000 (2016) |
The Dixie Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid-May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Frequently referred to as the Dixie Handicap, it is the eighth-oldest graded stakes race in the United States and the oldest stakes race in Maryland and all of the Mid-Atlantic states. The race is open to horses age three and up and is run one and one-eighth miles on the turf. Currently a Grade II stakes race with a purse of $250,000, at one time the Dixie was a very important race that drew the top horses from across North America.
First run as the "Dinner Party Stakes" when Pimlico Race Course opened in 1870, it was named for the 1868 dinner party in Saratoga, New York where Maryland Governor Oden Bowie and others met and wagered, resulting in the building of the Pimlico race course for thoroughbred race horses.
The inaugural event was won by Preakness, for whom the Preakness Stakes was named. In 1871, it was called the Reunion Stakes and was won in a walkover by Harry Bassett. Suspended in 1888, in 1924, the race was revived by William P. Riggs, Maryland Jockey Club secretary.
Champions of many eras are among the Dixie's winners. Ten winners or runners-up have won the Eclipse Award or Champion, the latest being Paradise Creek in 1994. Other Dixie Stakes Champions include Sky Classic (1992), Bowl Game (1978), Fort Marcy (1970), Turbo Jet II (1964), Assault (1947), Armed (1946), Whirlaway (1942), Sarazen (1925) and Tom Ochiltree (1875).
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