Alcibiades Stakes
The Alcibiades Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. A Grade I race, it is open to two-year-old fillies willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt. Sponsored by Darley Racing since 2003, the Alcibiades Stakes was named for Hal Price Headley's great foundation mare Alcibiades.
| Grade I race | |
| Location | Keeneland Race Course Lexington, Kentucky, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1952 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | www |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+1⁄16 miles (8.5 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Two-year-old fillies |
| Weight | 1952–1978 :119 lbs 1979–present : 118 lbs |
| Purse | $500,000 |
The race is currently part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series. The winner will automatically qualify for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
The race obtained Graded stakes race status in 1973 and was a Grade III race through 1975, a Grade II from 1976 through 2006 and elevated in 2007 to Grade I status with a current purse of $500,000.
Inaugurated in 1952 as a seven furlong race, from 1956 through 1980 it was run at seven furlongs, 184 feet. In 1981 it was changed to its present distances of 1+1⁄16 miles.
The Alcibiades Stakes was raced on dirt until 2006 when Keeneland Race Course installed the synthetic Polytrack surface. In 2014, the Polytrack was replaced by a new dirt surface.