# Just a Game Stakes

The Just A Game Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age four and up run over a distance of one mile (8 furlongs) on the turf held annually in June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The event offers a purse of $500,000.

## History

The race is named in honor of Peter Brant's filly, Just A Game, who was voted 1980 American Champion Female Turf Horse honors.
The event was inaugurated on Independence Day in 1992 and run over a distance of 1+3⁄8 miles on a muddy dirt track, won by Lady Lear who defeated the Irish Bred favorite by a length in a time of 2:159⁄10.
The event was not held in 1993 but the next year the event was moved to the turf and run over a mile.
The event was classified as a Grade III in 1997, upgraded to Grade II in 2004 and a Grade I in 2008.
The event carried Breeders' Cup incentives between 1996 and 2005 which were reflected in the name of the event.
Several mares have won this event who later became champions. The 2000 winner Perfect Sting later that year won the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf and was crowned US Champion Female Turf Horse. The 2004 British bred winner Intercontinental returned the following year only to get defeated into second place by Sand Springs but by the end of the season she made amends by winning Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf and also becoming the 2005
US Champion Female Turf Horse. The 2015 winner Tepin continued en route to a Breeders' Cup Mile win and honored as 2015 US Champion Female Turf Horse.
In 2024 the event was moved to Saratoga Racetrack due to infield tunnel and redevelopment work at Belmont Park.

## Records

Speed record:
* 1:31.64 – Celestine (2016)
Margins:
* 6 lengths – Elizabeth Bay (1994)
Most wins:
* 2 – Caress (1995, 1996)
Most wins by an owner:
* 3 – Juddmonte Farms (2004, 2008, 2017)
Most wins by a jockey:
* 4 – Javier Castellano (2011, 2014, 2017, 2019)
* 4 – Irad Ortiz Jr. (2018, 2020, 2023, 2024)
Most wins by a trainer:
* 7 – Chad C. Brown (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024)

## Winners

| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Distance | Time | Purse | Grade | Ref |
| At Saratoga – Just a Game Stakes |||||||||||
| 2024 | Chili Flag (FR) | 5 | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Chad C. Brown | Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb & Michael E. Kisber | 1 mile | 1:35.01 | $500,000 | I | |
| At Belmont Park |||||||||||
| 2023 | In Italian (GB) | 5 | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Chad C. Brown | Peter M. Brant | 1 mile | 1:34.00 | $485,000 | I | |
| 2022 | Regal Glory | 6 | José Ortiz | Chad C. Brown | Peter M. Brant | 1 mile | 1:32.00 | $480,000 | I | |
| 2021 | Althiqa (GB) | 4 | Mike E. Smith | Charlie Appleby | Godolphin | 1 mile | 1:33.90 | $500,000 | I | |
| 2020 | Newspaperofrecord (IRE) | 4 | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Chad C. Brown | Klaravich Stables | 1 mile | 1:35.62 | $250,000 | I | |
| 2019 | Rushing Fall | 4 | Javier Castellano | Chad C. Brown | e Five Racing Thoroughbreds | 1 mile | 1:31.67 | $671,000 | I | |
| 2018 | A Raving Beauty (GER) | 5 | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Chad C. Brown | Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Bethlehem Stables | 1 mile | 1:32.14 | $700,000 | I | |
| 2017 | Antonoe | 4 | Javier Castellano | Chad C. Brown | Juddmonte Farms | 1 mile | 1:32.12 | $687,000 | I | |
| 2016 | Celestine | 4 | Junior Alvarado | William I. Mott | James Bryan, Jr | 1 mile | 1:31.64 | $700,000 | I | |
| 2015 | Tepin | 4 | Julien R. Leparoux | Mark E. Casse | Robert E. Masterson | 1 mile | 1:35.65 | $700,000 | I | |
| 2014 | Coffee Clique | 4 | Javier Castellano | Brian A. Lynch | Amerman Racing | 1 mile | 1:32.52 | $750,000 | I | |
| 2013 | Stephanie's Kitten | 4 | John R. Velazquez | Wayne M. Catalano | Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey | 1 mile | 1:36.27 | $500,000 | I | |
| 2012 | Tapitsfly | 5 | Ramon A. Dominguez | Dale L. Romans | Frank Jones Jr. | 1 mile | 1:32.34 | $500,000 | I | |
| 2011 | C. S. Silk | 5 | Javier Castellano | Dale L. Romans | William Pacella, Fred Barbara & George Bonomo | 1 mile | 1:40.53 | $400,000 | I | |
| 2010 | Proviso (GB) | 5 | Mike E. Smith | William I. Mott | Juddmonte Farms | 1 mile | 1:34.09 | $400,000 | I | |
| 2009 | Diamondrella (GB) | 5 | Rajiv Maragh | Angel A. Penna Jr. | Castletop Stable | 1 mile | 1:36.49 | $400,000 | I | |
| 2008 | Ventura | 4 | Garrett K. Gomez | Robert J. Frankel | Juddmonte Farms | 1 mile | 1:32.75 | $400,000 | I | |
| 2007 | My Typhoon (IRE) | 5 | Eddie Castro | William I. Mott | Live Oak Plantation | 1 mile | 1:34.92 | $294,000 | II | |
| Just a Game Handicap |||||||||||
| 2006 | Gorella (FR) | 4 | Julien R. Leparoux | Patrick L. Biancone | Martin S. Schwartz | 1 mile | 1:37.14 | $285,000 | II | |
| 2005 | Sand Springs | 5 | John R. Velazquez | William I. Mott | Sangster Family Stable | 1 mile | 1:33.05 | $300,000 | II | |
| 2004 | § Intercontinental (GB) | 4 | Jerry D. Bailey | Robert J. Frankel | Juddmonte Farms | 1 mile | 1:33.33 | $226,333 | II | |
| 2003 | § Mariensky | 4 | José A. Santos | Christophe Clement | Waterville Lake Stable | 1 mile | 1:43.28 | $214,500 | III | |
| 2002 | Babae (CHI) | 6 | Jorge F. Chavez | Frank A. Alexander | Joseph P. Platt Jr. | 1 mile | 1:34.57 | $147,200 | III | |
| 2001 | License Fee | 6 | Pat Day | W. Elliott Walden | Winstar Farm | 1 mile | 1:32.62 | $189,050 | III | |
| 2000 | Perfect Sting | 4 | Jerry D. Bailey | Joe Orseno | Stronach Stables | 1 mile | 1:34.48 | $165,800 | III | |
| 1999 | Cozy Blues | 5 | Jorge F. Chavez | H. James Bond | Sandy & Joanne Dew | 1 mile | 1:33.33 | $157,700 | III | |
| 1998 | Witchful Thinking | 4 | Chris McCarron | Niall M. O'Callaghan | Leslie R. Grimm | 1 mile | 1:33.45 | $157,325 | III | |
| 1997 | Memories of Silver | 4 | Jerry D. Bailey | James J. Toner | Joan & John Phillips | 1 mile | 1:32.90 | $158,950 | III | |
| 1996 | † Caress | 5 | Robbie Davis | H. Allen Jerkens | Harbor View Farm | 1 mile | 1:33.30 | $158,150 | Listed | |
| Just a Game Stakes |||||||||||
| 1995 | Caress | 4 | Robbie Davis | H. Allen Jerkens | Harbor View Farm | 1 mile | 1:32.53 | $82,000 | Listed | |
| 1994 | Elizabeth Bay | 4 | Mike E. Smith | William I. Mott | Mohammed Al Maktoum | 1 mile | 1:32.85 | $55,550 | Listed | |
| 1993 | Race not held | Race not held | Race not held | Race not held | Race not held | Race not held | Race not held | Race not held | Race not held | Race not held |
| 1992 | Lady Lear | 5 | Gerry Brocklebank | Linda L. Rice | Mark Weiss | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:15.90 | $78,900 | Listed | |
Legend:
 Turf  Dirt
Notes:
† In 1996, Class Kris finished first but was disqualified and set back to second
§ Ran as part of an entry