Allaire duPont Stakes

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The Allaire duPont Stakes is a Listed American Thoroughbred race for fillies and mares aged three and older. It’s run at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, over 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt, on a left-handed track. The purse is $100,000 (since 2023). Weights are 126 lbs for four-year-olds and up, 120 lbs for three-year-olds, with allowances.

Inaugurated in 1992 as the Pimlico Distaff Handicap, the race has undergone several name changes in honor of Maryland horsewoman Allaire duPont (since 2006) and a Breeders’ Cup sponsorship era. It gained graded status in 1994, was upgraded to Grade II in 2007, downgraded to Grade III in 2011, and dropped to Listed status in 2023. The race has shifted distances over the years: 1 1/8 miles from 1992–2001, then 1 1/16 miles until 2014, and back to 1 1/8 miles in 2016.

The inaugural running was in late June; in 1993 and 1994 it was held in May. From 1995 it has been part of the Preakness undercard on Black-Eyed Susan Stakes day. The event has seen hiatus years in 2010 and 2014, and in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic caused scheduling changes tied to the Preakness Carnival, with adjustments around the race.