Matron Stakes (United States)

The Matron Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the Fall at Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island, New York (but was just lately a Spring/Summer event along with the Futurity Stakes). Open to two-year-old fillies, it is contested on dirt at a distance at seven furlongs. It is a former Grade I stakes but since 2007 has been a Grade II event. In effect, it is a filly counterpart to the Belmont Futurity Stakes. It is now a Grade III event.

Before 1902, it was run in two divisions, one for fillies and one for colts. After 1915, it was restricted to fillies. The inaugural race took place at Morris Park Racecourse in The Bronx, New York where it remained until 1905 when it was moved to the new Belmont Park. Through special arrangements, in 1910 it was hosted by Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Aqueduct Racetrack hosted the race in 1960 and again from 1962 to 1968.

The Matron Stakes was run over a straight course before 1959 (except for 1941). Since inception, it has been contested at various distances:

There was no race from 1895 to 1898, from 1911 to 1913 as a result of New York state legislation that banned parimutuel betting, from 1915 to 1922, and in 2001 it was cancelled in observance of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.

Because it occurs in the Fall, the race can be used as a prep race to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

In 2011, when it became a Spring/Summer event, the race was run at 6 furlongs.