Clark Stakes

The Clark Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late November at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Among the oldest races in the United States, it was first run in 1875, the year the racetrack opened for business. Currently a Grade II event, it is open to horses age three and older and is contested on dirt over a distance of 1+1⁄8 miles (9 furlongs). It was known as the Clark Handicap through 2018 before the race conditions were changed to set weights and allowances in 2019.

The race is named in honor of Colonel M. Lewis Clark, founder of the Louisville Jockey Club which built Churchill Downs.

Through 1901, it was restricted to three-year-old horses.

Since inception, the Clark Handicap has been run at various distances:

• 2 miles : 1875–1880
• 1+1⁄4 miles : 1881–1895
• 1+1⁄8 miles : 1896–1901, 1922–1924, 1955–present
• 1+1⁄16 miles : 1902–1921, 1925–1954

The race was run in two divisions in 1953.