What is the Aristides Stakes?
The Aristides Stakes is a Grade III Thoroughbred race held annually at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Contested at 6 furlongs on the dirt for horses aged four and older, it is one of the premier sprint stakes on the Churchill Downs Spring Meet calendar and a key benchmark event for older dirt sprinters targeting the summer championship circuit. The race is named in honor of Aristides, the chestnut colt who won the inaugural Kentucky Derby in 1875, ridden by jockey Oliver Lewis and trained by Ansel Williamson. Inaugurated in 1989 as the Aristides Breeders' Cup Handicap, the race lost graded status in 2019 before being upgraded to Grade III by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association in 2025. The Aristides stakes record of 1:07.57 was set by Volatile in 2020, one of the fastest six-furlong clockings in Churchill Downs history.
When is the Aristides Stakes in 2026?
The 2026 Aristides Stakes is scheduled for Saturday, May 30 at Churchill Downs. Contested at 6 furlongs on the main track with a purse of $300,000, the race is part of the Stephen Foster Preview Day program and draws the top older dirt sprinters in the country pointing toward the Grade I Stephen Foster Stakes in June.
Aristides Stakes History & Notable Winners
Trainer Steve Asmussen holds the record for most Aristides wins with five, while Bango became only the second two-time winner in the modern era when he defended his title in 2022 under Tyler Gaffalione for trainer Greg Foley. Gaffalione won back-to-back editions in 2022 and 2023, the latter aboard Gunite who gave Asmussen his fifth Aristides title in a sharp 1:08.46. Closethegame Sugar gave trainer Adam Rice and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. a breakthrough listed stakes win in 2024, clocking 1:08.39. Durante gave trainer David Jacobson his first Aristides win in 2025, the six-year-old son of Distorted Humor grinding out a front-running score in 1:09.23 for jockey Jose Ortiz in the race's first Grade III edition since 2018.
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Durante | Jose L. Ortiz | 1:09.23 |
| 2024 | Closethegame Sugar | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 1:08.39 |
| 2023 | Gunite | Tyler Gaffalione | 1:08.46 |
| 2022 | Bango | Tyler Gaffalione | 1:08.54 |
| 2021 | Bango | Marcelino Pedroza Jr. | 1:09.65 |
The Aristides Stakes is the premier sprint event of the Churchill Downs Spring Meet and a key early-summer benchmark for older dirt sprinters targeting the Grade I Stephen Foster Stakes.
