The Essex Handicap is a Grade 3 American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four and older, contested over 1 1/16 miles on the dirt at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is one of the major early spring stakes for older horses at Oaklawn and often serves as a prep race for the Grade 1 Oaklawn Handicap later in the meet.
The 2026 Essex Handicap is scheduled for March 21 at Oaklawn Park, carrying a purse of $500,000 and run over 1 1/16 miles on the main track.
In the 2025 Essex Handicap, Red Route One delivered a strong front-running performance to win the Grade 3 event over 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn Park. The race regularly attracts high-quality older dirt runners and has produced multiple horses that go on to compete in major Grade 1 events later in the season.
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Red Route One | Keith J. Asmussen | Steven M. Asmussen | 1:51.67 |
| 2024 | First Mission | Florent Geroux | Brad H. Cox | 1:49.76 |
| 2023 | Last Samurai | Cristian A. Torres | D. Wayne Lukas | 1:43.17 |
| 2022 | Rated R Superstar | David Cabrera | Federico Villafranco | 1:43.12 |
| 2021 | Silver State | Ricardo Santana, Jr. | Steven M. Asmussen | 1:42.73 |
| 2020 | Night Ops | Joseph Talamo | Brad H. Cox | 1:44.90 |
