# Buena Vista Stakes

The Buena Vista Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares aged four years old or older over the distance of one mile on the turf scheduled annually in February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The event currently carries a purse of $200,000.

## History

The inaugural running of the event was on 5 March 1988 as the Buena Vista Handicap with the Julio Canani trained Davie's Lamb ridden by Fernando Toro winning comfortably by 1+3⁄4 lengths in a time of 1:39 flat.
In 1990 the event was classified as a Grade III.
The Buena Vista Handicap was run in two divisions in 1992.
The event was upgraded to Grade II status in 1995.
The event run as a handicap through 2012 but since has been run under allowance weight conditions and renamed to the Buena Vista Stakes.
It was taken off the turf and run on the dirt course in 2017 due to poor conditions on the turf course. When a graded stakes is taken off the turf, the race is automatically downgraded one level for that running only. After the race, the American Graded Stakes Committee meets to review the race's running and determine if its former status should be reinstated. In the case of the 2017 Buena Vista Stakes, it was decided that the race's status would not be reinstated and as such it was recorded as a Grade III event.

## Records

Speed record:
* 1:33.33 - Pontchatrain (2014)
Margins:
* 3+1⁄2 lengths – Wild At Heart (2017)
Most wins:
* No horse has won this race more than once.
Most wins by an owner:
* 4 - Juddmonte Farms (1994, 1997, 2008, 2009)
Most wins by a jockey:
* 5 - Gary Stevens (1996, 2004, 2014, 2015, 2016)
Most wins by a trainer:
* 5 - Robert J. Frankel (1994, 1997, 2003, 2008, 2009)

## Winners

| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Distance | Time | Purse | Grade | Ref |
| Buena Vista Stakes |||||||||||
| 2023 | Quattroelle (IRE) | 5 | Hector Berrios | Jeff Mullins | Red Baron's Barn & Rancho Temescal | 1 mile | 1:35.74 | $201,000 | II | |
| 2022 | Leggs Galore | 5 | Ricardo Gonzalez | Philip D'Amato | William J. Sims | 1 mile | 1:34.29 | $200,000 | II | |
| 2021 | Charmaine's Mia | 4 | Flavien Prat | Philip D'Amato | Agave Racing Stable & Rockin Robin Racing Stables | 1 mile | 1:33.93 | $202,000 | II | |
| 2020 | Keeper Ofthe Stars | 4 | Abel Cedillo | Jonathan Wong | Tommy Town Thoroughbreds | 1 mile | 1:34.15 | $202,000 | II | |
| 2019 | Vasilika | 5 | Flavien Prat | Jerry Hollendorfer | All Schlaich Stables, Jerry Hollendorfer, Gatto Racing & G. Todaro | 1 mile | 1:33.35 | $201,404 | II | |
| 2018 | Fault | 4 | Geovanni Franco | Philip D'Amato | Agave Racing Stable & Little Red Feather Racing | 1 mile | 1:33.49 | $201,380 | II | |
| 2017 | Wild At Heart | 5 | Flavien Prat | Richard E. Mandella | Ramona S. Bass | 1 mile | 1:36.48 | $200,000 | III | |
| 2016 | Paulina's Love | 4 | Gary L. Stevens | Richard Baltas | KM Racing Enterprise & Head of Plains Partners | 1 mile | 1:36.06 | $202,070 | II | |
| 2015 | Diversy Harbor | 4 | Gary L. Stevens | Thomas F. Proctor | Glen Hill Farm | 1 mile | 1:34.33 | $200,250 | II | |
| 2014 | Pontchatrain | 4 | Gary L. Stevens | Thomas F. Proctor | Glen Hill Farm | 1 mile | 1:33.33 | $200,000 | II | |
| 2013 | Mizdirection | 5 | Mike E. Smith | Mike Puype | Jungle Racing, W. Strauss, J. Grohs, B. Beljak, KMN Racing et al. | 1 mile | 1:33.50 | $150,000 | II | |
| Buena Vista Handicap |||||||||||
| 2012 | City to City | 5 | Corey Nakatani | Jerry Hollendorfer | William DeBurgh, Mark Dedomenico & Jerry Hollendorfer | 1 mile | 1:34.19 | $150,000 | II | |
| 2011 | Cozi Rosie | 4 | Mike E. Smith | John W. Sadler | Jerry & Ann Moss | 1 mile | 1:35.94 | $150,000 | II | |
| 2010 | Tuscan Evening (IRE) | 5 | Rafael Bejarano | Jerry Hollendorfer | William de Burgh | 1 mile | 1:33.47 | $150,000 | II | |
| 2009 | Jibboom | 5 | Garrett K. Gomez | Robert J. Frankel | Juddmonte Farms | 1 mile | 1:38.68 | $150,000 | II | |
| 2008 | Costume (GB) | 4 | Garrett K. Gomez | Robert J. Frankel | Juddmonte Farms | 1 mile | 1:34.57 | $150,000 | II | |
| 2007 | Conveyor's Angel | 5 | Saul Arias | Christopher S. Paasch | Charles Cono | 1 mile | 1:35.77 | $150,000 | II | |
| 2006 | Silver Cup (IRE) | 4 | Victor Espinoza | Patrick L. Biancone | Martin S. Schwartz | 1 mile | 1:34.92 | $150,000 | II | |
| 2005 | Uraib (IRE) | 5 | Jon Court | Sanford Shulman | Ronald L. Charles & Clear Valley Stables | 1 mile | 1:33.72 | $150,000 | III | |
| 2004 | Fun House | 5 | Gary L. Stevens | Ron McAnally | Winchell Thoroughbreds | 1 mile | 1:36.13 | $150,000 | II | |
| 2003 | Final Destination (NZ) | 5 | Victor Espinoza | Robert J. Frankel | Edmund A. Gann | 1 mile | 1:35.99 | $150,000 | II | |
| 2002 | Blue Moon (FR) | 5 | Brice Blanc | Ronald W. Ellis | B. Wayne Hughes | 1 mile | 1:35.54 | $150,000 | II | |
| 2001 | Rare Charmer | 6 | Laffit Pincay Jr. | Craig Dollase | Nick Cafarchia | 1 mile | 1:36.67 | $150,000 | II | |
| 2000 | Lexa (FR) | 6 | Brice Blanc | Ronald W. Ellis | B. Wayne Hughes | 1 mile | 1:36.17 | $162,150 | II | |
| 1999 | Tuzla (FR) | 5 | Corey Nakatani | Julio C. Canani | David S. Milch | 1 mile | 1:35.79 | $150,000 | II | |
| 1998 | Dance Parade | 4 | Kent J. Desormeaux | Neil D. Drysdale | Prince Fahd bin Salman | 1 mile | 1:36.83 | $169,200 | II | |
| 1997 | Media Nox (GB) | 4 | Corey Nakatani | Robert J. Frankel | Juddmonte Farms | 1 mile | 1:33.48 | $135,250 | II | |
| 1996 | Matiara | 4 | Gary L. Stevens | Richard E. Mandella | Alec Head | 1 mile | 1:35.74 | $131,800 | II | |
| 1995 | Lyin to the Moon | 6 | Kent J. Desormeaux | Richard E. Mandella | Edward Allred & Randall D. Hubbard | 1 mile | 1:36.77 | $106,700 | II | |
| 1994 | † Skimble | 5 | Corey Nakatani | Robert J. Frankel | Juddmonte Farms | 1 mile | 1:34.85 | $111,300 | III | |
| 1993 | Marble Maiden (GB) | 4 | Kent J. Desormeaux | Gary F. Jones | Darley Racing | 1 mile | 1:36.23 | $110,000 | III | |
| 1992 | Gold Fleece | 4 | Alex O. Solis | John W. Sadler | Joe Alvarez & Lise Ham | 1 mile | 1:33.48 | $85,850 | III | Division 1 |
| 1992 | Appealing Missy | 5 | Chris McCarron | Ron McAnally | Mr. & Mrs. Jerome Brody | 1 mile | 1:34.25 | $85,850 | III | Division 2 |
| 1991 | Taffeta and Tulle | 5 | Chris McCarron | Charles E. Whittingham | Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum | 1 mile | 1:34.30 | $112,200 | III | |
| 1990 | Saros Brig | 6 | Pat Valenzuela | Dominick Manzi | Green Thumb Farm | 1 mile | 1:34.20 | $113,300 | III | |
| 1989 | Annoconnor | 5 | Corey Black | Richard C. Mettee | Morton Fink & Roy Gottlieb | 1 mile | 1:36.40 | $110,800 | | |
| 1988 | Davie's Lamb | 4 | Fernando Toro | Julio C. Canani | Deals On Stable | 1 mile | 1:39.00 | $105,800 | | |
Legend:
 All Weather Track  Dirt  Turf
Notes:
† In 1994, Lady Blessington (FR) won the race but was disqualified later after a positive swab of scopalamine and placed ninth (last). All prize money was redistributed with first place awarded to Skimble