The Ruffian Stakes is a Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares ages four-years-old and older run over a distance of one mile on a dirt track scheduled annually in early May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Race history The race is named in honor of the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame filly, Ruffian who broke down in a match race with the 1975 Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure on 6 July 1975 at Belmont Park and was humanely destroyed the following day. The following year the New York Racing Association scheduled the inaugural running of the Ruffian Stakes on 9 October 1976 as a miles race for fillies and mares, three-year-old and older. The event was won by Revidere who defeated the Argentine bred Bastonera II by 14 lengths on a sloppy track in a time of 2:01 flat. Revidere was sired by Reviewer the same sire of the ill-fated Ruffian. After the first running the event was classified as Grade I. In 1977 the distance of the event was decreased to miles and the conditions of the event were changed to a handicap thus the name of the event became the Ruffian Handicap. In 1990 the distance was reduced once again to miles. The 2001 running of the Ruffian Handicap was cancelled due to the September 11th terrorist attacks. In 2010 and 2011 the event was moved to the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York during the regular summer meeting and was run as the Ruffian Invitational Handicap over a distance of miles. In late 2011 the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association downgraded the event to Grade II for 2012 however, NYRA did not schedule the event. The event was moved to Aqueduct Racecourse in 2013 and held in April over a distance of one mile and then returned to Belmont Park in 2014 and scheduled in May where it was run on the undercard of the Man o' War Stakes on Mother's Day. That year the event became the Ruffian Stakes again in 2014 and the conditions were changed to the current format of fillies and mares ages four-years-old and older allowed to enter. Fiftyshadesofhay won the race, giving John Velazquez his sixth win in the race, currently the leading jockey to have won this event. Outstanding mares to have won this event include