D. Wayne Lukas, for whom the race is named | |
| Class | Grade II |
|---|---|
| Location | Santa Anita ParkArcadia, California, United States |
| Inaugurated | 1957 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | Santa Anita Park |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 7 furlongs |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Fillies and Mares, four years old & up |
| Weight | 124 lbs. with allowances[1] |
| Purse | US$200,000 (since 2014)[2] |
The D. Wayne Lukas Stakes is an American Grade IIThoroughbred horse race run annually in late January/early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to fillies and mares age four and older, it is run on the dirt over a distance of seven furlongs.
Inaugurated in 1957 as the Santa Monica Handicap, through 1959 it was open to horses three-year-olds and up of either sex. In 2010 the race was no longer run under handicap weight conditions,[2] and was known as the Santa Monica Stakes until 2025.
In July 2025 Santa Anita's owners, 1/ST Racing and Gaming, announced that the Santa Monica Stakes would be renamed for the late trainer D. Wayne Lukas.[3] Lukas won the Santa Monica six times, holding the record for most wins by a trainer in the race until Bob Baffert won the Santa Monica for the seventh time in 2023.
The race was run in two divisions in 1961 and 1965.
It was rated as GII in 1973–1983, GIII in 1984–1987, GII in 1988 and 1989, GI in 1990–2012, and GII in 2013 and later.[2]
Speed record:
Most wins:
Most wins by a jockey:
Most wins by a trainer:
Most wins by an owner: