Cup and Saucer Stakes

Cup and Saucer Stakes
Restricted race
LocationWoodbine Racetrack
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Inaugurated1937
Race typeThoroughbred - Flat racing
WebsiteWoodbine Racetrack
Race information
Distance1+116 miles (8.5 furlongs)
SurfaceTurf
TrackLeft-handed
QualificationTwo-year-olds foaled in Canada
WeightAllowances
Purse$193,125 (2015)

The Cup and Saucer Stakes is a thoroughbred horse race held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Open to two-year-old horses foaled in Canada, it is currently run at a distance of 1+116 miles on turf. Along with its dirt race counterpart, the Coronation Futurity Stakes, the Cup and Saucer Stakes is the richest race for two-year-olds foaled in Canada.

The race was first run on October 13, 1937 at Toronto's now-defunct Long Branch Racetrack. It was originally known as Mrs. Orpen's Cup and Saucer Handicap, named after the track owner Abe Orpen's wife.[1] It held that name until 1947 when it was renamed the Orpen Cup and Saucer Handicap. It was changed to its current name in 1949.

The race was run from 1937 to 1952 on dirt at a distance of 1 mile 70 yards.[2] World War II consolidations saw the race shifted to the Dufferin Park Racetrack from 1942 to 1945 before returning to Long Branch in 1946. In 1953, the racing distance was increased to 1+116 miles and remained at that distance after moving to the new Woodbine Racetrack in 1956. Converted to a turf race in 1959, the Cup and Saucer Stakes was raced at 1+18 miles from 1973 to 1982 but then reverted to its 1+116 miles in 1983.

The 1963 running was notable for who did not win as the future U.S. and Canadian Hall Of Famer Northern Dancer finished second. In the 1980s, Sam-Son Farm and their trainer James E. "Jim" Day came to dominate this event.

  1. ^ Munns, Tommy (October 14, 1937). "Scanning the Sport Field: Suffern Wins Cup and Saucer Race". The Globe and Mail. p. 15.
  2. ^ "Forty-one Are Named For Juvenile Classic At Long Branch Park". The Globe and Mail. September 28, 1937. p. 18.