Chula Vista Handicap
| Grade I race | |
| Location |
Del Mar Racetrack Del Mar, California, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1973 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | www |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 1⁄16 miles (8.5 furlongs) |
| Surface | dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Fillies and Mares, three-years-old & up |
| Weight | Allowance |
| Purse | $300,000 |
The Clement L. Hirsch Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run each year at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The race is open to fillies and mares, age three and up, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on dirt. The race is now run under allowance weight conditions.
It was first run as the Chula Vista Handicap in 1937 as a five and one-half furlong race for two-year-olds bred in California and was won by a horse owned by singer Bing Crosby. The race was not run again until 1967 when it was run at a distance of one mile. In 1973, the race was brought back permanently as a contest for fillies and mares, age three and older. It was run at 1 1⁄8 miles in 1973, 1 mile in 1974-1975, and seven and one-half furlongs from 1976-1980, after which it was set at its current distance of 1 1⁄16 miles (8.5 furlongs). From 1973 to 1981 it was run on the turf. Since then it has been run on the dirt except from 2007 to 2014 when Del Mar used a synthetic "all weather" surface.
In 2000 it was renamed to honor Clement L. Hirsch (1914–2000), a Thoroughbred owner whose horse won this race in 1993. A Newport Beach, California businessman, Hirsch was responsible for the creation of the Oak Tree Racing Association.
The race was run in two divisions in 1977 and again in 1980. In 2009, it became a Grade I event. At the same time, it changed from a handicap to a stakes format, with weights set according to allowance conditions – horses who do not meet certain conditions (such as winning a Grade I stakes) carry less weight than those that do.
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