For 4-year-olds and up, it is a Grade III event set at a distance of one and three-sixteenth miles on the dirt.
According to the official history at Keeneland racetrack, the Ben Ali (pronounced Ah-Lie) is named for James Ben Ali Haggin (1822–1914), a lawyer who made a fortune during the California Gold Rush and who used much of that money to create the biggest horse breeding farm in the world: the Rancho Del Paso near Sacramento, California.
Haggin became a noteworthy breeder of great racehorses and a fervent supporter of the sport.
Haggin owned the Hall of Famers, Salvator and the filly, Firenzi.
Decidedly, the winner of the 1962 Kentucky Derby, won this race in 1963, and Pistols and Roses in 1994.