Alysheba Stakes
# Alysheba Stakes

The Alysheba Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three and older over a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles on the dirt held annually in early May on the Kentucky Oaks day meeting at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky during the spring meeting.

## History

The Alysheba became the most recent addition to the Derby Week stakes with the inaugural running on 30 April 2004 as the sixth race on the undercard of the Kentucky Oaks day meeting. It was the first stakes to join the Derby Week lineup since 1997.

The event is named for the talented 1987 Kentucky Derby winner and United States Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Alysheba, who returned to the Downs in 1988 to win the Breeders' Cup Classic. His victory marked the first time a Derby winner had returned to Churchill to win a stakes since Whirlaway took the 1942 Clark Handicap.

The event received graded status in 2007 and was upgrade to Grade II in 2012.

The 2012 winner Successful Dan broke the track record for the distance which to date still holds.

## Records

### Speed record

* 1+1⁄16 miles: 1:41.04 - Successful Dan (2012)

### Margins

* 6 lengths - Take Charge Indy (2013)

### Most wins by a jockey

* 3 - John Velazquez (2004, 2005, 2015)

### Most wins by a trainer

* 2 - Todd Pletcher (2005, 2015)
* 2 - Bob Baffert (2011, 2019)

## Winners

| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Distance | Time | Purse | Grade |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2023 | Smile Happy | 4 | Brian Hernandez Jr. | Kenneth G. McPeek | Lucky Seven Stable | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:41.29 | $600,000 | II |
| 2022 | Olympiad | 4 | Junior Alvarado | William I. Mott | Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stables, & LNJ Foxwoods | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:41.60 | $500,000 | II |
| 2021 | Maxfield | 4 | Jose Ortiz | Brendan Walsh | Godolphin | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:41.39 | $400,000 | II |
| 2020 | By My Standards | 4 | Gabriel Saez | W. Bret Calhoun | Allied Racing Stable LLC | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:42.24 | $400,000 | II |
| 2019 | McKinzie | 4 | Mike E. Smith | Bob Baffert | Karl Watson, Michael E. Pegram & Paul Weitman | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:41.10 | $400,000 | II |
| 2018 | Backyard Heaven | 4 | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Chad C. Brown | Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:41.73 | $400,000 | II |
| 2017 | Bird Song | 4 | Julien R. Leparoux | Ian R. Wilkes | Marylou Whitney Stables | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:44.34 | $400,000 | II |
| 2016 | Majestic Harbor | 8 | Corey J. Lanerie | Paul J. McGee | Gallant Stable | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:43.10 | $400,000 | II |
| 2015 | Protonico | 4 | John R. Velazquez | Todd A. Pletcher | Sumaya U.S. Stable | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:42.34 | $400,000 | II |
| 2014 | Moonshine Mullin | 6 | Calvin H. Borel | Randy L. Morse | Randy Patterson | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:42.83 | $342,000 | II |
| 2013 | Take Charge Indy | 4 | Rosie Napravnik | Patrick B. Byrne | WinStar Farm & Chuck & Maribeth Sandford | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:41.41 | $339,900 | II |
| 2012 | Successful Dan | 4 | Julien R. Leparoux | Charles LoPresti | Morton Fink | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:41.04 | $337,800 | II |
| 2011 | First Dude | 4 | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert | Donald R. Dizney | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:42.56 | $358,500 | III |
| 2010 | Arson Squad | 7 | Paco Lopez | Richard E. Dutrow Jr. | Jay Em Ess Stable | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:43.28 | $169,650 | III |
| 2009 | Bullsbay | 5 | Jeremy Rose | H. Graham Motion | Mitchell Ranch, Frank Lewkowitz & Joe Rice | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:44.29 | $170,400 | III |
| 2008 | Giant Gizmo | 4 | Rafael Bejarano | Robert J. Frankel | Stronach Stables | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:43.96 | $166,050 | III |
| 2007 | Wanderin Boy | 6 | Corey Nakatani | Nicholas P. Zito | Arthur B. Hancock III | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:43.45 | $112,300 | III |
| 2006 | Gouldings Green | 5 | Corey J. Lanerie | Anthony L. Reinstedler | Melnyk Racing Stable | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:42.37 | $114,500 | Listed |
| 2005 | Limehouse | 4 | John R. Velazquez | Todd A. Pletcher | Dogwood Stable | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:42.32 | $112,900 | Listed |
| 2004 | Congrats | 4 | John R. Velazquez | Claude R. McGaughey III | Adele Dilschneider & Claiborne Farm | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:44.31 | $113,600 | Listed |
