The Sham Stakes

Road to the Kentucky Derby > Sham Stakes

The Sham Stakes Race Facts

• Location: Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, CA
• Inaugural Race: 2001
• Distance: One mile
• Track Type: Left-handed, Dirt
• Age Qualifications: Three-year-olds
• Status: Grade 3
• 2024 Purse: $100,000
• 2024 Race Date: Race not scheduled for 2024

The Sham Stakes is one of the first ‘Road to the Kentucky Derby’ races held at the start of each calendar year. The Grade III race is held at Santa Anita Park in mid-January, and has been contested at 1 mile since 2012. The race has a current purse of $100,000, and the Sham Stakes winner receives 10 qualifying points towards the Kentucky Derby with the top five finishers all receiving points (10-5-3-2-1).

2023 Sham Stakes Results

Exotic Payoffs:

• $1 Exacta (4-1) Paid: $71.30
• $0.50 Trifecta (4-1-2) Paid: $63.00

Watch the 2023 Sham Stakes

The History of the Sham Stakes

The Sham Stakes was inaugurated in 2001 at a distance of 1 1/8 miles. The race is named for the racehorse Sham, who won the 1973 Santa Anita Derby, and was remembered for his battles with Secretariat during the 1973 Triple Crown races.

The race record for fastest time are the Pamplemousse (2009) going 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.86, and the current 1 mile record time of 1:34.56 by Out of Bounds (2012) with late jockey Garrett Gomez aboard. Gomez would win back-to-back Sham Stakes with his 2012 finish. Gomez is also tied with jockeys Alex Solis, Victor Espinoza and Mike E. Smith for total Sham victories, each totaling a record of four wins.

Trainer Bob Baffert has won a record nine races, with Baffert's most recent win in 2023 with Reincarnate. Some of Baffert's other winners include Collected (2016), who ran in the Preakness Stakes and Authentic (2020) who won the Kentucky Derby that year. Baffert also trained Bob and John, who won the 2006 edition and competed in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

The 2017 winner was Gormley, who went on to win the Santa Anita Derby and then run in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. Gormley has earned more than $1 million.

The 2013 winner was Goldencents, who also won the Santa Anita Derby before running in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Over the next 15 months, Goldencents would finish 2nd six times and also win the Breeders’ Cup Mile in both 2013 and 2014 to amass earnings of more than $3 million.   

Colonel John was the winner of the 2008 edition, and he ran in the Kentucky Derby and then won the Travers Stakes that same year. He would go on to run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic two times and earn more than $1.7 million.

All Time Results for The Sham Stakes