Inaugurated 1998 Distance 1 mile (8 furlongs) | Website www.keeneland.com Surface Turf | |
Location Keeneland Race Course, Lexington, Kentucky United States Race type Thoroughbred - Flat racing | ||
The First Lady Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. A one-mile (8 furlongs) race on turf, it is open to Fillies & Mares, age three and older. Run in mid October, it currently offers a purse of $400,000.
The race was first run in 1998 as the First Lady Stakes at a distance of 1 3⁄16 miles. In 2005 it was modified to its present distance of one mile. In 2000, WinStar Farm became the race's sponsor from then through 2005 and it was renamed the Galaxy Stakes. In 2006, the name reverted to its inaugural title.
A listed race in its first two years, it earned Grade III status in 2000 from the American Graded Stakes Committee who sanctioned it as a Grade II race the following year. On November 28, 2007, it was upgraded to a Grade I event.
The First Lady stakes is a steppingstone to the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. In 2000, Perfect Sting ran second in this race but went on to win that year's inaugural edition of the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. In 2005, Intercontinental won this race and the ensuing Breeders' Cup, a feat repeated by Tepin in 2015.
Records
Speed record: (at current distance of 1 mile)