Matchmaker Stakes

Matchmaker Stakes
Grade III race
Location Monmouth Park Racetrack
Oceanport, New Jersey, United States
Inaugurated 1967
Race type Thoroughbred - Flat racing
Website Monmouth Park Racetrack
Race information
Distance  1 1⁄8 miles (9 furlongs)
Surface Turf
Track Left-handed
Qualification Fillies and Mares, Three-years-old & up
Weight Assigned
Purse $100,000 (2016)

The Matchmaker Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. The Grade III race is open to Fillies and Mares, Three-years-old & up and is run on turf over a distance of  1 1⁄8 miles (9 furlongs).

Inaugurated in 1967 at Atlantic City Race Course, the race was run on dirt from 1967 to 1978 and again in 1983. Run at  1 3⁄16 miles from 1967 through 1996, the race was moved to Monmouth Park in 1997. Until 2004, it was known as the Matchmaker Handicap and was run in mid June until being made part of the Haskell Invitational day held on the first Sunday in August.

Taylor Made Stallions has sponsored the Matchmaker since 2005. It is now supported by WinStar Farm.

Only one horse has ever won this race twice. Allaire du Pont's filly, Politely, accomplished the feat with back-to-back victories in the first two runnings.

In 2009, the Matchmaker was taken off the turf because of heavy rain in New Jersey earlier in the day. Originally carded as a grade III event, the Matchmaker lost its graded status for that running in a decision made by the American Graded Stakes Committee shortly after it was run.

Records

Time record: (at current  1 1⁄8 miles om turf)

Most wins:

Most wins by a jockey:

Winners of the Matchmaker Stakes since 1997

Year
 Winner
 Age
 Jockey
 Trainer
 Owner
 Time
2016 Itsonlyactingdad 4 Joe Bravo Todd A. Pletcher Starlight Racing 1:52.27
2015 Casual Smile (GB) 4 Abel Castellano, Jr. Chad C. Brown W.S. Farish 1:47.12
2014 Starstruck 5 Kerwin D. Clark J. Larry Jones Calumet Farm 1:46.35
2013 Starstruck 4 Rosie Napravnik J. Larry Jones Calumet Farm 1:49.27
2012 Laughing 4 Rafael Bejarano Alan E. Goldberg Richard Santulli 1:48.93
2011 Romacaca 5 E. T. Baird Nick Canani Frank Carl Calabrese 1:46.54
2010 Unbridled Essence 4 Paco Lopez Gregory D. Sacco Red Oak Stables 1:47.97
2009 Captain's Lover 5 John Velazquez Todd Pletcher Team Valor International 1:51.60
2008 J'ray 5 Joe Bravo Todd A. Pletcher Lawrence Goichman 1:46.39
2007 Roshani 4 Garrett Gomez Todd A. Pletcher Ben McElroy 1:47.55
2006 Ready's Gal 4 John R. Velazquez Todd A. Pletcher James T. Scatuorchio 1:48.77
2005 Love Match 5 Javier Castellano John C. Kimmel Anne Wrenn Poulson 1:50.20
2004 Where We Left Off 4 Corey Nakatani Christophe Clement Moyglare Stud 1:48.80
2003 Volga 5 Joe Bravo Christophe Clement H. Joseph Allen 1:48.20
2002 Clearly A Queen 5 Eibar Coa Teresa Pompay John A. Franks 1:47.76
2001 Batique 5 Jose Ferrer Laird George Helen K. Groves 1:46.19
2000 Horatia 4 Jose Santos Christophe Clement Gerald W. Leigh 1:47.52
1999 Natalie Too 5 Joe Bravo D. Wayne Lukas Padua Stables 1:46.81
1998 Bursting Forth 4 Mario Verge H. Graham Motion Sam Huff 1:48.46
1997 Fleur de Nuit 4 Julie Krone Joseph H. Pierce, Jr. Robert Greenbaum 1:48.91

Earlier winners

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