The Demoiselle Stakes is a stakes race for
thoroughbredhorses open to two-year-old
fillies who are willing to race the one and one-eighth miles on dirt. The
Grade II event is run at
Aqueduct Racetrack every November for a current purse of $250,000.
The Demoiselle is part of the
Road to the Kentucky Oaks, a points system developed by Churchill Downs to determine eligibility for the Kentucky Oaks. The Demoiselle is one of the most important races for juvenile fillies, rivalling the
Spinaway Stakes, the
Oak Leaf Stakes and the
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in establishing the early favorite for the Oaks.
The Demoiselle, named for the French word for young woman, was run at
Empire City Race Track at its inauguration in 1908, then in 1910, 1914, and from 1917 to 1942. It then moved to
Jamaica Racetrack from 1943 to 1953 and from there to Aqueduct. Since inception, the Demoiselle Stakes has been contested at various distances:
5.5 furlongs: 1908–1936
5.75 furlongs: 1936–1942
6 furlongs: 1943–1947
7 furlongs: 1958–1959
8.5 furlongs: 1948–1953
8 furlongs: 1963–1974
9 furlongs: 1975–present
Records
Speed record: (at current distance of 1+1⁄8 miles)
1:50.00 – Plankton (1978) (time measured in fifths of a second)
The Demoiselle Stakes is a stakes race for
thoroughbredhorses open to two-year-old
fillies who are willing to race the one and one-eighth miles on dirt. The
Grade II event is run at
Aqueduct Racetrack every November for a current purse of $250,000.
The Demoiselle is part of the
Road to the Kentucky Oaks, a points system developed by Churchill Downs to determine eligibility for the Kentucky Oaks. The Demoiselle is one of the most important races for juvenile fillies, rivalling the
Spinaway Stakes, the
Oak Leaf Stakes and the
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in establishing the early favorite for the Oaks.
The Demoiselle, named for the French word for young woman, was run at
Empire City Race Track at its inauguration in 1908, then in 1910, 1914, and from 1917 to 1942. It then moved to
Jamaica Racetrack from 1943 to 1953 and from there to Aqueduct. Since inception, the Demoiselle Stakes has been contested at various distances:
5.5 furlongs: 1908–1936
5.75 furlongs: 1936–1942
6 furlongs: 1943–1947
7 furlongs: 1958–1959
8.5 furlongs: 1948–1953
8 furlongs: 1963–1974
9 furlongs: 1975–present
Records
Speed record: (at current distance of 1+1⁄8 miles)
1:50.00 – Plankton (1978) (time measured in fifths of a second)