What is the Amsterdam Stakes?
The Amsterdam Stakes is a Grade II Thoroughbred race held annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Contested at 6½ furlongs on the dirt exclusively for 3-year-olds, it is the premier sophomore dirt sprint test of the Saratoga summer meet and a key benchmark for the division targeting the Grade I H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes and the Breeders' Cup Sprint in the fall. The race was inaugurated in 1993 at Belmont Park as the Screen King Stakes and moved to Saratoga the following year, where it was renamed the Amsterdam Stakes in 1998 in honor of Amsterdam, New York, a city approximately 26 miles southwest of Saratoga Springs. Classified Grade III in 1998 and upgraded to Grade II in 2001, the Amsterdam has a roll of honor that includes future Hall of Famers and champions. Quality Road set the race record of 1:13.74 in 2009, one of the fastest 6½-furlong clockings in Saratoga history. Steve Asmussen holds the trainer record with six wins, while Joel Rosario and Pat Day each hold the jockey record with four victories. Notable alumni include Distorted Humor (1996), who later became North America's leading sire, and Jackie's Warrior (2021), who went on to win five consecutive Grade I races.
