Stepping Stone Purse
The Stepping Stone Purse was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the latter part of April at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Open to three-year-old horses, it was, along with the Derby Trial Stakes, one of two final prep races hosted by Churchill Downs running up to the Kentucky Derby.
| Discontinued horse race | |
 | |
| Location | Churchill Downs Louisville, Kentucky, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1958 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 7 furlongs (1958–1976) 8 furlongs (1977–1981) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three years old |
| Weight | Assigned |
In 1959, Sword Dancer won the Stepping Stone Purse,[1] then ran second in the Kentucky Derby before winning the Belmont Stakes. The following year, Bally Ache won this race[2] then ran second in the Derby but won the Preakness Stakes. In 1969, future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Majestic Prince won this race by six lengths while setting a new stakes record and then won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. In 1974, Cannonade too won the Stepping Stone Purse and the Kentucky Derby[3][4] and 1965 winner Tom Rolfe went on to finish third in the Derby but then won the Preakness Stakes.[5]
Records
- Speed record
- 1:21.60 – Majestic Prince (1969) (at 7 furlongs)
- 1:37.40 – Nostalgia (1977) (at 8 furlongs)
- Most wins by a jockey
- 2 – Bill Shoemaker (1959, 1966)
- 2 – Ismael Valenzuela (1962, 1964)
- 2 – Manuel Ycaza (1963, 1968)
- Most wins by a trainer
- 2 – Woody Stephens (1963, 1974)
- Most wins by an owner
- 2 – Cain Hoy Stable (1963, 1968)
Winners
| Year |
Winner |
Jockey |
Trainer |
Owner |
Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Mythical Ruler | Kevin Wirth | Fred Wirth | Al Risen Jr. & Paxton Price | 1:37.80 |
| 1980 | Jaklin Klugman | Darrel McHargue | Riley S. Cofer | Jack Klugman & John Dominguez | 1:38.60 |
| 1979 | King Celebrity | Don Brumfield | Robert J. Taylor | Che-Bar Stable | 1:37.80 |
| 1978 | Batonnier | Ronald Hardes | Harry Trotsek | Edward Seltzer | 1:37.60 |
| 1977 | Nostalgia | Larry Snyder | Del W. Carroll | William S. Farish III | 1:37.40 |
| 1976 | Amano | Larry Melancon | James A. Padgett | James C. Irvin | 1:24.80 |
| 1975 | Greek Answer | Mickey Solomone | Frank H. Merrill Jr. | W. Preston Gilbride | 1:25.00 |
| 1974 | Cannonade | Ángel Cordero Jr. | Woody Stephens | John M. Olin | 1:23.80 |
| 1973 | Shecky Greene | Walter Blum | Lou M. Goldfine | Joseph Kellman | 1:23.00 |
| 1972 | Hold Your Peace | Carlos Marquez | Arnold N. Winick | Maribel Blum | 1:24.00 |
| 1971 | Bold And Able | Howard Grant | Reggie Cornell | Calumet Farm | 1:22.60 |
| 1970 | My Dad George | Ray Broussard | Frank J. McManus | Raymond M. Curtis | 1:23.60 |
| 1969 | Majestic Prince | Bill Hartack | Johnny Longden | Frank M. McMahon | 1:21.60 |
| 1968 | Captain's Gig | Manuel Ycaza | William W. Stephens | Cain Hoy Stable | 1:22.60 |
| 1967 | Ruken | Fernando Alvarez | Clyde Turk | Louis R. Rowan | 1:23.20 |
| 1966 | Old Bag | Bill Shoemaker | Stanley M. Reiser | P. & R. Schleicher & S. M. Reiser | 1:25.20 |
| 1965 | Tom Rolfe | Ron Turcotte | Frank Y. Whiteley Jr. | Powhatan Stable | 1:22.80 |
| 1964 | Mr. Brick | Ismael Valenzuela | James E. Picou | Roy Sturgis | 1:22.80 |
| 1963 | Never Bend | Manuel Ycaza | Woody Stephens | Cain Hoy Stable | 1:22.40 |
| 1962 | Sir Gaylord | Ismael Valenzuela | Casey Hayes | Christopher Chenery | 1:22.40 |
| 1961 | Light Talk | Robert Nono | Steve Ippolito | Jacnot Stable | 1:23.40 |
| 1960 | Bally Ache | Bobby Ussery | Homer Pitt | Edgehill Farm | 1:22.60 |
| 1959 | Sword Dancer | Bill Shoemaker | J. Elliott Burch | Brookmeade Stable | 1:22.20 |
| 1958 | Belleau Chief | Johnny Heckmann | E. B. Carpenter | Lora Birr | 1:22.80 |