The Garden State Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid November at the now defunct Garden State Park Racetrack in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. A futurity event for two-year-olds, it is sometimes referred to as the Garden State Futurity. By 1956, the total purse offered was more than $300,000 (including all nomination and starting fees), making it the richest horse race in the world.^[1]

The race was contested on dirt until 1994 when it was changed to a race on turf. It was raced at various distances:

• On dirt:
• Inception – 1952: 6 furlongs on dirt
• 1953–1972, 1993: 1+1⁄16 miles on dirt
• 1985–1992: 1+1⁄8 miles on dirt
• 1998 : 1 mile on dirt (1998 race switched from turf due to heavy rains)
• On turf:
• 1994–1995 : 1+1⁄16 miles on turf
• 1996–1997, 1999 : 1 mile on turf

In 1955, the racetrack created a counterpart for fillies called the Gardenia Stakes.^[2]

The Garden State Stakes was placed on hiatus in 1973 and after a fire destroyed the racetrack on April 14, 1977^[3] it would not be run again until a new track was built by International Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. through its wholly owned subsidiary, Garden State Race Track, Inc. headed by Robert E. Brennan that opened on April 1, 1985.^[4] The March 18, 2000 issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Garden State Stakes had been cancelled for financial reasons.^[5]

Winners