Ten Things You Should Know: Mother Goose Stakes
By Kevin Martin, Hello Race Fans Contributing Editor
Originally published on June 24, 2010
1) The Mother Goose is a Grade 2 stakes race for 3-year-old fillies run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
2) In 2010, the race reverted back to its original distance of a 1 1/16 miles. It had been run at a 1 1/8 miles since 1959.
3) The Mother Goose has been a key race for 3-year-old fillies since it was first run in 1957.
4) The race was named for the filly Mother Goose. She beat males in the 1924 Belmont Futurity for 2-year-olds. The Futurity was the most important stakes race in America at that time.
5) Twenty-one fillies later named 3-year-old filly champions won the Mother Goose, including such greats as Davona Dale, Life’s Magic, Mom’s Command, Open Mind, Go For Wand and Rachel Alexandra. The last was Untapable in 2014.
6) Champion 3-year-old filly Ashado finished second in the 2004 Mother Goose. Susan’s Girl, another future champion, also finished second in the 1972 Mother Goose to a filly named Wanda.
7) In 1994, Lakeway won in a stakes record time of 1:46.58. Hall of Famer Inside Information finished third.
8) In 2009, Rachel Alexandra broke Lakeway’s 1 1/8th miles distance stakes record when she won the Mother Goose in 1:46.33. 2016 winner Off the Tracks owns the 1 1/16 mile record of 1:41.01.
9) The great filly Ruffian won the 1973 Mother Goose by 13 1/2 lengths.
10) The Mother Goose was originally part of the Filly Triple Crown (aka Triple Tiara) along with the Acorn and Coaching Club American Oaks (also run at Belmont Park). Sky Beauty was the last filly to win the Triple Tiara in 1993.
