2026 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Results

Official race entries and morning line odds are listed below:

Exotic Payouts:

• $1.00 Exacta (9-3) Paid: $70.20
• $0.50 Trifecta (9-3-6) Paid: $200.30
• $0.10 Superfecta (9-3-6-5) Paid: $137.92

Watch the 2026 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes

History of the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes

First run on July 17, 1937, the race now known as the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes debuted as the Chula Vista Handicap, a five-and-a-half-furlong sprint restricted to California-bred two-year-olds. Its initial winner was owned by Hollywood icon Bing Crosby, setting a glamorous tone for the event’s early prestige. After a long hiatus, it was staged again in 1967 as a one‑mile event before its permanent revival in 1973, this time for three-year-old and older fillies and mares, with several distance adjustments through the late 1970s before settling at 1&1/16 miles on dirt in 1981.

Transition & Naming: Honoring a Racing Visionary
For decades the Chula Vista developed into a competitive long‑standing fillies and mares event. In 2000, following the passing of Clement L. Hirsch, Del Mar renamed the race in his honor. Hirsch had been a prolific owner-breeder—his mare Magical Maiden won the race in 1993—and was a founding force behind the Oak Tree Racing Association and the nonprofit management model at Del Mar itself.

Rise of Top-Class Fillies & Mare Stardom
The race gained momentum through the 1980s and ’90s, producing champions like Princess Rooney (1984), Bayakoa (1990), and Azeri (2002–03)—all future Breeders’ Cup Distaff winners and Champion Older Female Horses. But perhaps most iconic was Zenyatta, who won the Hirsch three straight times (2008–10) before going on to win the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic and earn Horse of the Year honors in 2010.

Upgrading to Grade I Status
Originally a Grade III race since 1983, the Hirsch was elevated to Grade II in 1986, and in 2009 reached Grade I status while transitioning from handicap to stakes conditions. That year marked it as one of North America’s premier distaff events, and—along with its current $400,000 purse—it also became part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win & You’re In” Challenge Series, awarding the winner an automatic entry into the Distaff.

Modern Era: Recent Champions & Legacy
In recent years, the Hirsch Stakes has continued to attract elite talent. Notable winners include Beholder (2015), Stellar Wind (2016–17), Unique Bella (2018), Shedaresthedevil (2021), Blue Stripe (ARG) (2022), and Adare Manor, who claimed back-to-back victories in 2023–24—all under the spotlight at Del Mar as the Breeders’ Cup approaches. Held annually in late July or early August, the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes stands as a defining event for top‑level fillies and mares, marrying rich tradition with contemporary championship racing on the California coast.

Historical Results of the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes