Iroquois Stakes (Churchill Downs) Iroquois Stakes (Churchill Downs) The Iroquois Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race which is the first graded stakes race for Thoroughbred horses on opening day at the Churchill Downs Fall Meet. This first day every fall is devoted entirely to two-year-old racing. The race is a Road to the Kentucky Derby Prep Season qualifying race. The winner receives 10 points toward qualifying for the Kentucky Derby. Prior to 2013 the race was run over at one mile on the dirt track, and open to juveniles only. The Grade III Iroquois currently offers a purse of $150,000. Since 2013, the
Fort Larned (horse) Out in third. "I never thought the horse was that good," said Whitham's son Clay, "because he was so slow developing. He was just a plain bay horse and nothing more. He wasn’t flashy at all. He finally grew up at Churchill Downs last November in the slop. When he won the Skip Away at Gulfstream this winter and set a track record, I finally thought, 'Hey, he’s got some talent.' But I sure wasn’t counting on winning this race." Fort Larned was a finalist in the Eclipse Award voting for American Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male