The Palos Verdes Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for four-year-olds and older over a distance of six furlongs on the dirt track held annually in late January or early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, USA.
The event is named after one of the first California land grants known as Rancho San Pedro consisting today of the Pacific coast cities of Los Angeles harbor, San Pedro, the Palos Verdes Peninsula and other cities in Los Angeles County including Rancho Palos Verdes which is approximately 50 miles from Santa Anita Park.
[2] The event would not be held for fifteen years and was reinstated by Santa Anita Track Administration as part of the stakes program for the opening week of the 1951–52 Winter Meeting.
The first time the event was held on an Opening Day was on 26 December 1953 and 62,000 were on hand to see 18/1 longshot Heliowise winning by the shortest of margins and setting a new stakes record of 1:094⁄5.
[5] Ten years later Imbros's son, one of California's all-time favorite horses, Native Diver would win the first of his two victories in the event.
[10] The event was scheduled to be held on Opening Day in 1969 but due to a strike by racetrack employees the race was not run.
[6] The winner of the 1974 rendition, Ancient Title carried 126 pounds to victory as an 11/10 favorite atoning for his third place in the previous year.
Today the event is known as the Grade II Santa Anita Sprint Championship, run over the same distance as the Palos Verdes Stakes but is held in the fall.
The event has held its place in the racing calendar schedule as either being run in late January or early February.
[20] A consistent sprinter Cardmania had eight starts without any victories before hitting form in mid-October and winning the Ancient Title Breeders' Cup Handicap.
[22] After returning to California, Lit de Justice finished second in an allowance at Hollywood Park Racetrack and in his first run of 1996 would win the now discontinued El Conejo Handicap over the shorter 5+1⁄2 furlong distance easily by 5+1⁄2 lengths.
In 2019 Roy H returned to face five opponents in the Palos Verdes Stakes and again easily won the race by 4 lengths as the 3/10 odds-on favorite becoming the second two-time winner of the event.