The Pocahontas Stakes is a Grade II

Graded stakes race

A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...

 race

Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...

 held every year at Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...

's Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...

 fall meet. Open only to two-year-old Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 fillies

Filly

A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....

, it's set at a distance of one mile (eight furlong

Furlong

A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....

s) on the dirt. The race was upgraded from a Grade III race to a Grade II race in 2010 by the American Graded Stakes Committee.

The Pocahontas will be in its 43rd running in 2011. The race was first held on Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving (United States)

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...

 in 1969 and was fittingly named for Pocahontas

Pocahontas

Pocahontas was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in Tidewater Virginia...

, the daughter of Native-American

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 chief Powhatan

Chief Powhatan

Chief Powhatan , whose proper name was Wahunsenacawh , was the paramount chief of Tsenacommacah, an alliance of Algonquian-speaking Virginia Indians in the Tidewater region of Virginia at the time English settlers landed at Jamestown in 1607...

, who aided the early American settlers. The stakes race itself remained as a Thanksgiving Day event until 1982 when it was moved to the early weeks of the Fall Meet. That new scheduling allowed the Pocahontas to become a major prep for the more prestigious Golden Rod Stakes

Golden Rod Stakes

The Golden Rod Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late November at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. A Grade II event open to two-year-old fillies, it is contested on dirt over a distance of 11/16 miles ....

.

The distance of the race originated at 7 furlongs and was run at that distance for the first 13 years from 1969-1981. The distance was changed to one mile beginning in 1982 and has continued at that distance through 2010.

Records

Speed record:

• 1 mile - 1:34.57 - Sara Louise  (2008)

Most wins by a jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

:

• 7 - Pat Day
  Pat Day
  Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...
  
    (1983 div.1, 1983 div.2, 1984, 1987, 1994, 1995, 2004)

Most wins by a trainer

Horse trainer

In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...

:

• 3 - D. Wayne Lukas
  D. Wayne Lukas
  Darrell Wayne Lukas is a former educator who became one of the most successful horse trainers in American Thoroughbred horse racing history and a U.S...
  
    (1988, 1994, 2003)
• 3 - Pete Vestal  (1991, 1996, 1997)

Most wins by an owner:

• 3 - Wilmott Stables (1991, 1996, 1997)

Winners of the Pocahontas Stakes since 1992

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Distance	Time	Purse	Grade
2011	On Fire Baby	2	Joe Johnson	Gary Hartlage	Anita Cauley	1 mile	1:37.17	$173,400	II
2010	Dancinginherdreams	2	Julien Leparoux Julien Leparoux Julien R. Leparoux is a Champion jockey currently racing in the United States.Leparoux, grew up in a racing family, the son of a jockey turned assistant trainer. He worked at the Chantilly Racecourse as a stable hand and in January 2003 emigrated to California to work as an exercise rider for...	John Ward Jr.	John Oxley	1 mile	1:38.59	$165,450	II
2009	Sassy Image	2	Robby Albarado Robby Albarado Robby J. Albarado is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding at the age of 12 at bush tracks in his native Louisiana and after turning professional, earned his first win at Evangeline Downs in 1990...	Dale L. Romans Dale L. Romans Dale L. Romans is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.The son of a trainer, Dale Romans is best known for training the winner of the 2011 Preakness, Shackleford....	Jerry Romans, Jr.	1 mile	1:38.62	$200,000	III
2008	Sara Louise	2	Robby Albarado Robby Albarado Robby J. Albarado is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding at the age of 12 at bush tracks in his native Louisiana and after turning professional, earned his first win at Evangeline Downs in 1990...	Dale L. Romans Dale L. Romans Dale L. Romans is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.The son of a trainer, Dale Romans is best known for training the winner of the 2011 Preakness, Shackleford....	Eldon Farm	1 mile	1:34.57	$200,000	III
2007	Pure Clan	2	Julien Leparoux Julien Leparoux Julien R. Leparoux is a Champion jockey currently racing in the United States.Leparoux, grew up in a racing family, the son of a jockey turned assistant trainer. He worked at the Chantilly Racecourse as a stable hand and in January 2003 emigrated to California to work as an exercise rider for...	Robert E. Holthus Robert E. Holthus Robert E. "Bob" Holthus was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. As a second generation trainer, Holthus learned the profession from his father, Paul Holthus....	Lewis G. Lakin	1 mile	1:38.30	$300,000	III
2006	Change Up	2	Garrett Gomez	Steven Flint	Richard, Bertram & Elaine Klein	1 mile	1:35.97	$200,000	III
2005	French Park	2	Mark Guidry Mark Guidry Mark Guidry is a retired American jockey.He began his riding career in Thoroughbred horse racing in his native Louisiana in 1974 where he remained until 1986 when he went to race in Illinois. He was the leading jockey at Hawthorne Race Course seven times, Sportsman's Park nine times, and two...	Helen Pitts Helen Pitts Helen Pitts was an American suffragist and the second wife of Frederick Douglass. She also created the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association.-Early life:She was born in Honeoye, New York...	Steve Stan Stables	1 mile	1:37.19	$200,000	III
2004	Punch Appeal	2	Pat Day Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...	Steve Asmussen Steve Asmussen Steven Mark Asmussen is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Born into a horse racing family, his parents, Keith and Marilyn "Sis" Asmussen, are both trainers who operate El Primero Training Center off the Mines Road in Laredo, the seat of Webb County in south Texas...	Heiligbrodt Racing	1 mile	1:37.77	$200,000	NG
2003	Stellar Jayne	2	Cornelio Velasquez Cornelio Velásquez Cornelio H. Velásquez is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He was introduced to horse racing at age fifteen by trainer Carlos Salazar Guardia in his native Panama and enrolled in the national jockey school...	D. Wayne Lukas D. Wayne Lukas Darrell Wayne Lukas is a former educator who became one of the most successful horse trainers in American Thoroughbred horse racing history and a U.S...	Spendthrift Farm Spendthrift Farm Spendthrift Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded by Leslie Combs II and named for the great stallion, Spendthrift, who was owned by Combs' ancestor, Daniel Swigert of Elmendorf Farm. Spendthrift was the great-grandfather of Man o' War.- Famous...	1 mile	1:38.97	$200,000	NG
2002	Belle of Perintown	2	Mark Guidry Mark Guidry Mark Guidry is a retired American jockey.He began his riding career in Thoroughbred horse racing in his native Louisiana in 1974 where he remained until 1986 when he went to race in Illinois. He was the leading jockey at Hawthorne Race Course seven times, Sportsman's Park nine times, and two...	Eddie Kenneally	Ken Mahler & Jamie Schloss	1 mile	1:36.52	$200,000	NG
2001	Lotta Rhythm	2	Marlon St. Julien Marlon St. Julien Marlon St. Julien is an American equestrian professional in Thoroughbred horse racing.In 2000, he became the first African-American jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby in 79 years, when he rode Curule to a seventh-place finish. St. Julien began his professional riding career in 1989 at Evangeline...	Hal R. Wiggins	Dolphus Morrison	1 mile	1:37.96	$200,000	NG
2000	Unbridled Elaine	2	Shane Sellers Shane Sellers Shane Jude Sellers is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. At age eleven, he began working around horses and in 1983 rode his first winner at Evangeline Downs....	Dallas Stewart Dallas Stewart Dallas Stewart trains a string of thoroughbred horses in Kentucky from bases at Churchill Downs, Turfway Park, Keeneland Race Course, Fair Grounds Race Course, Arlington Park and Saratoga Race Course. Before venturing out on his own, he spent 12 years working under the tutelage of leading trainer...	Roger J. Devenport	1 mile	1:34.82	$200,000	NG
1999	Crown of Crimson	2	Robby Albarado Robby Albarado Robby J. Albarado is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding at the age of 12 at bush tracks in his native Louisiana and after turning professional, earned his first win at Evangeline Downs in 1990...	Bob Baffert Bob Baffert Robert A. "Bob" Baffert is an American horse owner and trainer, whose horses have won three Kentucky Derbies, five Preakness Stakes, one Belmont Stakes and two Kentucky Oaks. He graduated from the University of Arizona's with a Bachelor of Science degree. -Early career:Bob Baffert began his...	Golden Eagle Farm	1 mile	1:37.81	$200,000	NG
1998	The Happy Hopper	2	Willie Martinez Willie Martinez Willie Martinez may refer to:*Willie Martínez , baseball pitcher*Willie Martinez , horse racing jockey*Willie Martinez , defensive backs coach*Willie Martinez , jazz trap drummer-See also:...	Robert E. Holthus Robert E. Holthus Robert E. "Bob" Holthus was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. As a second generation trainer, Holthus learned the profession from his father, Paul Holthus....	Kerry & Linda Ozment	1 mile	1:37.73	$200,000	NG
1997	Mission Park	2	Calvin Borel Calvin Borel Calvin H. Borel is an American jockey in thoroughbred horse racing and rode the victorious mount in the 2007 Kentucky Derby, the 2009 Kentucky Derby and the 2010 Kentucky Derby...	Pete Vestal	Willmott Stables	1 mile	1:38.55	$200,000	NG
1996	Water Street	2	Craig Peret	Pete Vestal	Willmott Stables	1 mile	1:36.90	$200,000	NG
1995	Birr	2	Pat Day Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...	Elliott Walden	Prestonwood Farm	1 mile	1:36.84	$200,000	NG
1994	Minister Wife	2	Pat Day Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...	D. Wayne Lukas D. Wayne Lukas Darrell Wayne Lukas is a former educator who became one of the most successful horse trainers in American Thoroughbred horse racing history and a U.S...	Fares Farm	1 mile	1:38.64	$200,000	NG
1993	At The Half	2	Shane Sellers Shane Sellers Shane Jude Sellers is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. At age eleven, he began working around horses and in 1983 rode his first winner at Evangeline Downs....	Carl E. Bowman	Wayne G. Lyster, III	1 mile	1:38.13	$200,000	NG
1992	Coni Bug	2	Shane Sellers Shane Sellers Shane Jude Sellers is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. At age eleven, he began working around horses and in 1983 rode his first winner at Evangeline Downs....	Anthony Granitz	Wheeler Farm	1 mile	1:37.85	$140,000	NG

Earlier winners

The race was run in two divisions in 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983.