Rodeo Drive Stakes
The Rodeo Drive Stakes is a Grade I race for thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three-years-old and upwards. It is run at Santa Anita Park with a current purse of $300,000 and is contested over a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles (2,000 meters).
| Grade I race | |
| Location | Santa Anita Park Arcadia, California |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1977 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | www.santaanita.com |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+1⁄4 miles (2,000 meters) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Fillies & Mares, Three-years-old & Up |
| Weight | Scale Weight |
| Purse | $300,000 |
Originally named the Yellow Ribbon Stakes, it was normally raced during the Oak Tree Racing Association meeting at Santa Anita Park in late September / early October. It was and is a major prep race for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf raced over a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles (2,000 meters) on the turf.
Part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, the winner of the Rodeo Drive automatically qualifies for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
Inaugurated in 1977, it was an Invitational through 1995. The original name for the race was the idea of Oak Tree Founding Director Louis R. Rowan and is taken from the wartime song: "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree."