What is the Kelso Stakes?
The Kelso Stakes is a Grade III Thoroughbred race held annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Contested at 1 mile on the inner turf course for horses aged four and older, it is one of the premier summer turf mile tests in the Northeast and a key benchmark for older turf milers targeting the Fourstardave Stakes and the Breeders' Cup Mile. Inaugurated in 2014 at Belmont Park as the Forbidden Apple Stakes, the race was named in honor of Forbidden Apple, the 2001 Manhattan Handicap winner who also captured the Grade II Kelso Handicap twice. Moved to Saratoga in 2019 and classified Grade III that same year, the race was renamed the Kelso Stakes in 2023 in honor of Kelso, the legendary five-time American Horse of the Year owned by Allaire du Pont, who won the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park five consecutive times from 1960 to 1964. The race serves as an important stepping stone for horses targeting the Fourstardave just weeks later, with Casa Creed (2023-24) and Carl Spackler (2024) among the winners who went on to claim that Grade I event.
When is the Kelso Stakes in 2026?
The 2026 Kelso Stakes is scheduled for Sunday, July 5 at Saratoga Race Course as part of the July 4th Racing Festival. Contested at 1 mile on the inner turf course with a purse of $175,000, the race draws the top older turf milers in the Northeast targeting the summer turf mile championship circuit.
Kelso Stakes History & Notable Winners
The Kelso Stakes has consistently identified top turf milers who go on to bigger summer victories. Godolphin's Think Big gave trainer Michael Stidham and jockey Jose Ortiz a 2025 win, stretching out to a mile on turf for the first time and rallying by a length, just four-fifths of a second off the Saratoga course record. Carl Spackler gave trainer Chad Brown and jockey Tyler Gaffalione his first graded score against older company in 2024, winning by half a length over Talk of the Nation before going on to capture the Grade I Fourstardave that August. Casa Creed gave trainer Bill Mott and jockey Luis Saez a 2023 victory by one length over Annapolis, the race's first running under the Kelso name, en route to a repeat Fourstardave title. City Man gave trainer Christophe Clement his second win in the race's history in 2022, the New York-bred earning his first graded stakes victory. Voodoo Song gave owner Barry Schwartz a 2021 win, the gelding returning the following year to defend his title.
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Think Big | Jose L. Ortiz | Michael Stidham |
| 2024 | Carl Spackler | Tyler Gaffalione | Chad Brown |
| 2023 | Casa Creed | Luis Saez | William I. Mott |
| 2022 | City Man | Joel Rosario | Christophe Clement |
| 2021 | Rinaldi | Luis Saez | H. James Bond |
Race run as Forbidden Apple Stakes through 2022.
The Kelso Stakes is one of the premier summer turf mile tests in the Northeast and a key proving ground for the Grade I Fourstardave Stakes and Breeders' Cup Mile each July.
