Grade I race | |
Location | Belmont Park Elmont, New York |
---|---|
Inaugurated | 1931 |
Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
Race information | |
Distance | 1+1⁄16 miles (8.5 furlongs) |
Surface | Dirt |
Track | left-handed |
Qualification | Three-year-old fillies |
Weight | Assigned |
Purse | $500,000 (2023) |
The Acorn Stakes is an American Grade I race at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile and a sixteenth with a current purse of $500,000. It is the first leg of the US Triple Tiara and is followed by the Coaching Club American Oaks then the Alabama Stakes. The filly must win all three races to win the Triple Tiara, as well as the third leg of the "National" Triple Tiara (Kentucky Oaks and George E. Mitchell Stakes are the others).[1]
The Acorn Stakes was run at Aqueduct Racetrack from 1960 to 1967 and 1969 to 1975. There were two divisions in 1951, 1970 and 1974. There was a dead heat for first place in 1954 and again in 1956. The race was run at one mile from its inception until 2022. In 2023, the New York Racing Association lengthened the race to 1+1⁄16 miles.[1] The 2024 Acorn was held at Saratoga Race Course at 1+1⁄8 miles due to construction at Belmont Park.[2]