Baltimore Washington International Turf Cup

The Baltimore Washington International Turf Cup is an American Grade II invitational horse race. Inaugurated in 1952, it was raced at Laurel Park Racecourse on the turf in Laurel, Maryland, at a distance of ​1 1⁄2 miles (12 furlongs) and attracted top turf horses from North America and Europe.

Baltimore Washington International Turf Cup
Grade III race
LocationLaurel Park Racecourse,
Laurel, Maryland, United States
Inaugurated1952
Race typeThoroughbred - Flat racing
WebsiteLaurel Park Racecourse
Race information
Distance1 mile (8 furlongs)
SurfaceTurf
TrackLeft-handed
Qualification3-Year-Olds and Up

It was held annually from 1952-1994, then it was discontinued because of its place on the late fall calendar and the popularity of the Breeders' Cup Turf. The race was brought back in 2005 as the Colonial Turf Cup run at Colonial Downs in Richmond, Virginia and then at Laurel Park Racecourse as the Commonwealth Turf Cup in Laurel, Maryland from 2015-2016. Then in 2017 the original root of race name was brought back as well adding it to a portion of its last version the Turf Cup suffix. So it is now being called the Baltimore Washington International Turf Cup.

When it was founded by John D. Schapiro (owner of the Laurel Park Racecourse), it was the only international horse race in the United States. Until then, bringing horses from Europe and elsewhere to the United States for a specific race was unprecedented.[1] J. Samuel Pearlman, editor of the Daily Racing Form, discussed the idea with Schapiro after the 1950 racing season. Less than a year and half later, the concept became a reality.[2]

Usually just called the "International," the race drew the best Thoroughbreds from the U.S. and Europe; it was important enough to attract horses from the Soviet Union during the 1960s, despite the Cold War.[3] In the 1980s, the Washington, D.C. International was part of a million-dollar bonus given to any horse who won both it, the Canadian International Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, and the Turf Classic at Belmont Park in New York.

In the race's early days, few American horses excelled on the turf; some were turf specialists, while others built their race records on the dirt and then specifically switched over to grass for the "International". U.S. Hall of Famer Kelso won five straight Horse of the Year honors competing almost entirely on the dirt in the early 1960s and finished second three times in a row in the International. In 1964, the great gelding finally won the race in an American record time of 2:23.80. He had given the event international status in Europe by just missing three times, before winning it at age seven.[4]

The Washington, D.C. International Stakes was raced at a distance of ​1 1⁄2 miles from its inception in 1952 until 1986, when it was shortened to ​1 1⁄4 miles. With the exception of 1993 (when it was raced at one mile), the International remained at ​1 1⁄4 miles until its final running in 1994.

Run the Gantlet won the International in 1971; his son Providential won it in 1981. Providential was bred and previously owned by Bertram R. Firestone, whose wife Diana won the race the following year with her filly April Run after coming in second to Providential in 1981.

During its run, the D.C. International Stakes was won by horses from the United States 22 times and by foreign representatives 21 times.

Records

Speed record:

  • 1-1/2 miles - 2:23.80 - Kelso (1964) {Stakes and track record}
  • 1-1/4 miles - 1:59.60 - Paradise Creek (1994) {Stakes Record at this distance}
  • 1-3/16 miles - 1:52.98 - Showing Up (2005)
  • 1 mile - 1:33.43 - Blacktype (2016)

Most wins by a horse:

Most wins by an owner:

Most wins by a jockey:

Most wins by a trainer:

Winners
Year
 Winner
 Nation
 Age
 Jockey
 Trainer
 Owner
 Distance (miles)
 Time
 Grade
2020 - 1 m 0:00.00 III
2019 Caribou Club 5 Feargal Lynch Thomas F. Proctor Glen Hill Farm (Craig Bernick) 1 m 1:33.35 III
2018 Doctor Mounty 5 Forest Boyce C. R. McGaughey III Dave Alden 1 m 1:41.78 III
2017 Projected 5 Nik Juarez Chad C. Brown Juddmonte Farms 1 m 1:34.25 II
2016 Blacktype 5 Trevor McCarthy Christophe Clement Jump Sucker Stable LLC (C. S. Duncker, K. Warsh, G. Walker, G. Loening) 1 m 1:33.43 II
2015 Mr. Speaker 3 Jose Ortiz C. R. McGaughey III Phipps Stable ​1 1⁄8 1:47.30 II
2014 no race
2013 London Lane 6 Horacio Karamanos Lawrence Murray Howard Bender ​1 3⁄16 1:55.40 II
2012 Turbo Compressor 4 Joe Bravo Todd A. Pletcher P & G Stable & Off The Hook Racing ​1 3⁄16 1:55.00 II
2011 Rahystrada 7 Sheldon Russell Byron Hughes Robert Courtney ​1 3⁄16 1:54.68 II
2010 Paddy O'Prado 3 Kent Desormeaux Dale Romans Donegal Racing ​1 3⁄16 1:54.20 II
2009 Battle of Hastings 3 Tyler Baze Jeff Mullins Michael House ​1 3⁄16 1:57.79 II
2008 Sailor's Cap 3 Alan Garcia James J. Toner Team Valor ​1 3⁄16 2:04.42 III
2007 Summer Doldrums 3 Jose Lezcano Richard Violette Jr. Klaravich Stables ​1 3⁄16 1:55.68 III
2006 Showing Up 3 Cornelio Velásquez Barclay Tagg Lael Stables (Gretchen & Roy Jackson) ​1 3⁄16 1:52.98
2005 English Channel 3 John Velazquez Todd Pletcher James T. Scatuorchio ​1 3⁄16 1:56:37
1995-2004 no race
1994 Paradise Creek 5 Pat Day William I. Mott Masayki Nishiyama ​1 1⁄4 1:59.60 I
1993 Buckhar 5 Jean Cruguet Willard C. Freeman John W. Meriwether ​1 1⁄4 1:38.00 I
1992 Zoman 5 Alan Munro Paul Cole Prince Fahd Salman ​1 1⁄4 2:01.40 I
1991 Leariva 4 Edgar Prado David Smaga Thierry van Zuylen ​1 1⁄4 2:06.40 I
1990 Fly Till Dawn 4 Laffit Pincay, Jr. Darrell J. Vienna Josephine T. Gleis ​1 1⁄4 2:01.20 I
1989 Caltech 3 Rene Douglas Eduardo Azpurua Sr. David S. Romanik ​1 1⁄4 2:07.60 I
1988 Sunshine Forever 3 Angel Cordero, Jr. John M. Veitch Darby Dan Farm ​1 1⁄4 2:03.00 I
1987 Le Glorieux 3 Laffit Pincay, Jr. Robert Collet Sieglinde Wolf ​1 1⁄4 2:02.80 I
1986 Lieutenant's Lark 4 Robbie Davis Howard M. Tesher Lowell T. Stevens ​1 1⁄4 2:09.00 I
1985 Vanlandingham 4 Don MacBeth Shug McGaughey Loblolly Stable ​1 1⁄4 2:35.60 I
1984 Seattle Song 3 Cash Asmussen Francois Boutin Stavros Niarchos ​1 1⁄2 2:27.20 I
1983 All Along 4 Walter Swinburn Patrick Biancone Daniel Wildenstein ​1 1⁄2 2:35.00 I
1982 April Run 4 Cash Asmussen Francois Boutin Diana M. Firestone ​1 1⁄2 2:31.00 I
1981 Providential 4 Alain Lequeux Charles Whittingham Serge Fradkoff ​1 1⁄2 2:31.20 I
1980 Argument 3 Lester Piggott Maurice Zilber Bruce McNall ​1 1⁄2 2:30.20 I
1979 Bowl Game 5 Jorge Velasquez John M. Gaver Jr. Greentree Stable ​1 1⁄2 2:51.00 I
1978 Mac Diarmida 3 Jean Cruguet Scotty Schulhofer Jerome M. Torsney ​1 1⁄2 2:27.00 I
1977 Johnny D. 3 Steve Cauthen Michael Kay Dana S. Bray Jr. ​1 1⁄2 2:32.00 I
1976 Youth 3 Sandy Hawley Maurice Zilber Nelson Bunker Hunt ​1 1⁄2 2:46.20 I
1975 Nobiliary 3 Sandy Hawley Maurice Zilber Nelson Bunker Hunt ​1 1⁄2 2:31.20 I
1974 Admetus 4 Maurice Philipperon John Cunnington Jr. Sir Michael Sobell ​1 1⁄2 2:29.60 I
1973 Dahlia 3 Bill Pyers Maurice Zilber Nelson Bunker Hunt ​1 1⁄2 2:31.80 I
1972 Droll Role 4 Braulio Baeza Thomas J. Kelly John M. Schiff ​1 1⁄2 2:38.80 I
1971 Run the Gantlet 3 Robert Woodhouse J. Elliott Burch Rokeby Stables ​1 1⁄2 2:50.60
1970 Fort Marcy 6 Jorge Velasquez J. Elliott Burch Rokeby Stables ​1 1⁄2 2:42.80
1969 Karabas 4 Lester Piggott Bernard van Cutsem Benjamin Guinness ​1 1⁄2 2:27.00
1968 Sir Ivor 3 Lester Piggott Vincent O'Brien Raymond R. Guest ​1 1⁄2 2:37.20
1967 Fort Marcy 3 Manuel Ycaza J. Elliott Burch Rokeby Stables ​1 1⁄2 2:27.00
1966 Behistoun 3 Jean Deforge Joseph Lieux Alec Weisweiller ​1 1⁄2 2:28.80
1965 Diatome 3 Jean Deforge Geoffroy Watson Guy de Rothschild ​1 1⁄2 2:28.20
1964 Kelso 7 Ismael Valenzuela Carl Hanford Bohemia Stable ​1 1⁄2 2:23.80
1963 Mongo 4 Wayne Chambers Frank A. Bonsal Marion duPont Scott ​1 1⁄2 2:27.40
1962 Match II 4 Yves Saint-Martin Francois Mathet Haras d'Ouilly ​1 1⁄2 2:28.20
1961 T.V. Lark 4 Johnny Longden Paul K. Parker Preston W. Madden ​1 1⁄2 2:26.20
1960 Bald Eagle 5 Manuel Ycaza Woody Stephens Cain Hoy Stable ​1 1⁄2 2:33.00
1959 Bald Eagle 4 Manuel Ycaza Woody Stephens Cain Hoy Stable ​1 1⁄2 2:28.00
1958 Sailor's Guide* 6 Howard Grant J. Bowes Bond Jaclyn Stable ​1 1⁄2 2:33.20
1957 Mahan 6 Sam Boulmetis, Sr. Harry Trotsek Hasty House Farm (Allie E. Reuben) ​1 1⁄2 2:34.60
1956 Master Boing 3 Guy Chancelier Georges Pelat Andre E. Lombard ​1 1⁄2 2:39.00
1955 El Chama 4 Raul Bustamante Jose Israel La Belle Carlos V. Rincones ​1 1⁄2 2:36.20
1954 Fisherman 3 Eddie Arcaro Sylvester Veitch C. V. Whitney ​1 1⁄2 2:47.80
1953 Worden 4 Charles Smirke Georges Bridgland Ralph Strassburger ​1 1⁄2 2:36.00
1952 Wilwyn 4 Manny Mercer John Waugh Robert C. Boucher ​1 1⁄2 2:30.80
* In 1958, Tudor Era finished first, but was disqualified and set back to second.
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References
  1. "Sport: International Laurels", Time, October 27, 1952. Accessed February 15, 2011.
  2. 2007 Maryland Jockey Club Media Guide, page 45 on March 3, 2007.
  3. "Soviet Horses To Race at Laurel". New York Times (payment required to read full article).
  4. 2007 Maryland Jockey Club Media Guide, page 45 on March 3, 2007.
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