The Forty Niner Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and older run over a distance of one mile (8 furlongs) on the dirt held annually in late October at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
Kelso won the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park five times (1960–1964) consecutively at the then distance of 2 miles on the dirt.
Fittingly NYRA scheduled the inaugural running of the Kelso Handicap over two miles at Aqueduct on 23 October 1980.
[3] On 20 October 1984 the event was renewed as a 1+1⁄4 miles turf race on an all stakes card at Belmont Park which included the Jockey Club Gold Cup[4] inheriting the classification status of Grade III from the Brighton Beach Handicap which became defunct with its last race on 24 August 1983.
[9] The event in 2022 was moved to Aqueduct Racetrack due to infield tunnel and redevelopment work at Belmont Park.