The Comely Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Open to three year old fillies, it is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile. The Grade III event offers a purse of $200,000.[1]
The race was named in honor of the filly Comely, who, in a remarkable performance as a two-year-old, defeated older male horses in winning the first running of the Fall Highweight Handicap in 1914. Going into 2019, she remains the only two-year-old to win the Fall Highweight Handicap and one of only a few two-year-olds to defeat older horses in a major stakes race.[2]
Inaugurated in 1945 at Jamaica Race Course, it was raced there through 1951 and again in 1959. For 1952 and 1953 it was hosted by the Empire City Race Track in Yonkers and Belmont Park in 1976, 1981, 1984, and again in 1985. There was no race run from 1954 to 1958. When revived in 1959 the race was open to two-year-olds of either sex and won by the 1960 Preakness Stakes winner, Bally Ache.[3] On April 30, 1975 the superstar filly and future Hall of Fame inductee Ruffian won the Comely by eight lengths in stakes record time.[4]
On May 11, 1985, Abigail Fuller became the first female jockey to win the Comely Stakes. She was aboard Mom's Command, a future Hall of Fame filly bred and raced by her father, Peter Fuller.[5]
The Comely was run in two divisions in 1953, 1963, and 1970.
^"Comely Stakes". New York Racing Association (NYRA). 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
^"History Challenge: Comely enjoyed remarkable season in 1914". Daily Racing Form (DRF). 2014-11-21. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
^"Bally Ache Dies At Breeding Farm". New York Times. 1960-10-30. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
^"On the 30th Anniversary of Ruffian's Last Race". Equus Magazine. 2005-07-05. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
^"Mom's Command Takes Comely by 4½". New York Times. 1942-06-27. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
The ComelyStakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Open to three year old fillies, it is...
Stud. Comely's sire was Disguise who raced in England for owner/breeder James R. Keene. Disguise was the winner of the 1900 Jockey Club Stakes and ran...
the 1985 ComelyStakes and the 1985 Alabama Stakes. In 1989, Fuller won the Seneca Handicap with Fuller's Down as her last graded stakes event victory...
(defeating Gallorette as well as Stymie). She also won the Beldame Stakes, the ComelyStakes and the Vagrancy Handicap. She was the brown daughter of Discovery...
a nose in the Alabama Stakes then scored wins in the Grade 1 Gazelle Handicap and Beldame Stakes and the Grade 2 ComelyStakes. Sent off as the parimutuel...
the $100,000 Hal's Hope Handicap Doctor Decherd in the $125,000 Aventura Stakes Bridgmohan was mentioned in the rap song "Fake Patois" by Das Racist, with...
James Butler's filly Comely for whom the ComelyStakes at Aqueduct Racetrack would be named. James R. Keene was the breeder of Comely and sold her in a package...
miles back to her home base at Aqueduct Racetrack and won the grade two ComelyStakes at one mile in mid-April. Her connections then entered her in the second...
won several important races including the 1971 Gazelle Handicap and ComelyStakes. Retired to broodmare duty, Forward Gal was bred to sires such as Northern...
Champion Two-Year-Old Filly, Forward Gal, piloting her to wins in the ComelyStakes, Gazelle Handicap, Monmouth Oaks and the Betsy Ross Handicap. In 1975...
Memorial Stakes Grade III: Bay Shore StakesComelyStakes Distaff Handicap Excelsior Handicap Fall Highweight Handicap Go For Wand Handicap Gotham Stakes Long...
Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland of October 17, in which she finished fifth. Forever Unbridled finally won her first stakes race in the ComelyStakes at Aqueduct...
to the first ever Filly Triple Crown when they won the Acorn Stakes, Mother Goose Stakes and the Coaching Club American Oaks. In 1971, injuries forced...
to the United States. Barrera did and in 1971 trained his first American Stakes race winner. In the ensuing years, he built a solid reputation and in late...
recent years, he has gained some national exposure by riding in various stakes races throughout the United States. On April 12, 2015, Mike Luzzi accepted...
owner/breeder. During his forty-six-year career, he conditioned seventy-two stakes winners, including four Eclipse Award champions. Mack Miller grew up near...
demonstrating professionalism and integrity. He earned his first graded stakes race win with War Phar in 1951. Although Croll has had a number of good...
trainer of thoroughbred racehorses and a convicted felon. A multiple graded stakes-winning trainer, Servis is best known for having trained Maximum Security...
Better Than Honour placed in the Acorn Stakes and ComelyStakes, with a show in the Mother Goose Stakes. When her racing career was over, Better Than Honour...
racing trainer who race conditioned Bally Ache to win the 1960 Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series. In addition to his skills...
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