The Cradle Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds held at Belterra Park (formerly River Downs) in Cincinnati, Ohio.
[citation needed] During the 1980s, the Cradle Stakes grew to become the richest race for 2-year-olds in Ohio.
One notable winner in that decade was Spend a Buck, who won the 1984 Cradle before going on to win the Kentucky Derby and Horse of the Year honors in 1985.
[citation needed] River Downs management put the Cradle, and its filly counterpart the Bassinet, on hiatus after 2010 as part of a new contract with horsemen in an effort to maintain daily purses.
In July 2022, Belterra management announced that both races would return in September of that year.