What is the Royal Heroine Stakes?
The Royal Heroine Stakes is a Grade III Thoroughbred race held annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Contested at 1 mile on the turf for fillies and mares aged four and older, it is one of the premier one-mile turf tests for older distaff horses on the West Coast each spring and serves as an early-season launching pad toward the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes. The race is named for the great champion filly Royal Heroine, who set a North American record when winning the inaugural Breeders' Cup Mile at Hollywood Park in 1984. Originally run at Hollywood Park, the race moved to Santa Anita in 2014 following Hollywood's closure, and was downgraded to Grade III by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association in 2024.
When is the Royal Heroine Stakes in 2026?
The 2026 Royal Heroine Stakes is scheduled for Saturday, April 25 at Santa Anita Park. Contested at 1 mile on the turf with a purse of $100,000, the race draws top older fillies and mares from across North America and regularly attracts international runners targeting the Hollywood Meet championship series.
Royal Heroine Stakes History & Notable Winners
Trainer Phil D'Amato has dominated the modern era of the Royal Heroine Stakes, winning three of the five most recent runnings. D'Amato saddled Going Global to a wire-to-wire score in 2022 under Umberto Rispoli, sent out Uncorked in 2024 with Frankie Dettori aboard, and followed up with Public Assembly under Antonio Fresu in 2025. Closing Remarks gave trainer Carla Gaines and the Harris Farms homebred program a memorable 2023 score, winning in authoritative fashion under Joe Bravo. The race has become a reliable indicator of early-season form for older turf fillies and mares targeting the summer stakes schedule at Santa Anita and Del Mar.
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Public Assembly | Antonio Fresu | 1:36.13 |
| 2024 | Uncorked | Frankie Dettori | 1:34.06 |
| 2023 | Closing Remarks | Joe Bravo | 1:34.82 |
| 2022 | Going Global | Umberto Rispoli | 1:33.97 |
| 2021 | Charmaine's Mia | Flavien Prat | 1:33.76 |
Last Updated on 04/20/2026
The Royal Heroine Stakes is a signature event of the Santa Anita Hollywood Meet and a key early-season test for the top older turf distaffers on the West Coast.
