Joe Hernandez Stakes


The Joe Hernandez Stakes is a Graded [stakes race|Grade II] American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four years old or older over the distance of furlongs on the turf scheduled annually in January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The event currently carries a purse of $250,000.

History

Inaugurated in 2008, the race is named in honor of Joe Hernandez, the race caller at Santa Anita Park from the time the track opened on Christmas Day 1934 until his death in 1972. Hernandez called 15,587 races in a row at Santa Anita during that time.
The event was predominantly raced on the downhill turf course over the about furlongs distance. In 2010 the event was moved to the synthetic All Weather track due to weather. The 2015 running was also moved off the turf but by then Santa Anita Park had restored the natural dirt track.
In 2019 the event was upgraded to Grade III and a year later to Grade II.
In 2020 the event was moved and run using the backstretch start at a distance of furlongs on turf, and the following year the event was run on the newly extended backstretch and close to the former distance of furlongs.
The 2017 winner Stormy Liberal followed up winning the Breeders' Cup [Turf Sprint] and repeating that effort in 2018.
The event was run twice in the calendar year in 2022 due to scheduling changes.

Records

Speed record:
Margins:
;Most wins by a jockey
;Most wins by a trainer

Winners

Legend: