Vigil Stakes

Vigil Stakes
Grade III race
LocationWoodbine Racetrack
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Inaugurated1956
Race typeThoroughbred - Flat racing
Websitewww.woodbineentertainment.com
Race information
Distance6 furlongs
SurfaceTapeta synthetic dirt
TrackLeft-handed
QualificationThree-year-olds & up
Weight120 pounds for three-year-olds, 124 pounds for older horses with allowances[1]
PurseCan$150,000 (since 2002)[2]

The Vigil Stakes is a thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a Grade III sprint race open to horses aged three and older with a purse of Can$150,000. It is currently run in late July over a distance of 6 furlongs on Woodbine's Tapeta (synthetic dirt) surface.

Inaugurated as the Vigil Handicap, it was first run in 1956 at Fort Erie Race Track where it remained until 1980. Since inception it has been contested at various distances:

  • 5.5 furlongs :1956-1958
  • 6 furlongs: 1959
  • 6.5 furlongs: 1960
  • 1+1⁄16 miles (8.5 furlongs): 1961-1979
  • 7 furlongs: 1980–2017
  • 6 furlongs: 2018–present
  1. ^ "Chart for the 2018 Vigil Stakes". equibase.com. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  2. ^ "Vigil Stakes Profile". equibase.com. Retrieved 30 July 2018.