Hirsch Stakes (Grade 1) (BC)- $400.00 Purse
DMR- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
August 1, 2026

In this year’s running of the Grade 1 Hirsch Stakes, we will have a showdown between the last two winners of the race as 2024 winner Decimas Queen battles it out against 2025 winner Present Tense while six others look to steal the headlines and grab the coveted BC Distaff spot that is up for grabs for the race winner. This is a race that has been on the schedule since 2004, running as a handicap in the early days until 2009, before becoming a traditional Grade 1. The purse has been $400.00 since 2022, when we saw a dead heat between Laffy Crack and Tenrikyo. It’s a field to be excited about, even if the last two Hirsch winners weren’t here, so let’s a look at our field of eight!

1- Gutter Black (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by V Espinoza)- Two weeks ago, Gutter Black was out at MTH for the Grade 2 Pitcher Stakes, and nearly pulled out the win, Instead, she settled for second in a photo with the well-known Starting Over, who by the way, is riding a hot streak now. The makes Gutter Black’s effort all the more impressive to me and this will not be the first time she’s run in both the Pitcher and the Hirsch as she placed third in each of those races last year. A long way to go, but she’s in the mix to get back to the BC Distaff and to improve her finish in that from last year.

2- Down On The Beat (Winning Link Stables, ridden by B Curtis)- After a solid two year old season, running in a couple of Grade 1’s, Down On The Beat was not seen much last year and fell off the radar in this division. She’d be acquired by Winning Link Stables for $71.11 in the December auction last year and turned in a strong season in her five starts to this point. That includes two wins, with the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Handicap at CD last time out being one of them. That punched her ticket to the BC Distaff, but she still has more to do before we get there. This is a filly that may not have the name recognition that others do, but she probably should.

3- Spring Street (High Voltage, ridden by D E Centeno)- In her 33 career starts, Spring Street has had a career to be proud of, winning seven times and being just a little shy of $1,400.00 in total earnings. Last year, winning the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes at SA got her into the BC, though she was a non-factor in the race. So far as a six year old, Spring Street has not been as good, though she did start well, getting a win in the Azeri at OP in March. Since then, the results have been not as good and her SRF’s in her last two show a noticeable decline. She’s bounced back before, and needs to do so again.

4- Wasted Away (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- In 2024 while in the silks of Fractious, Wasted Away grabbed the win in the KYO, then two months later won the CCA Oaks at SAR. Just a few days after that win, she was sold to Mb Stables for $1,250.00, where she continued to have a lot of success, winning the Alabama and the BC Staff. In 2025, she was strong again with three more graded wins, but we have not seen the same from her this time around. Similar to Spring Street, she does have a big win from March, taking the Grade 1 Beholder Mile at SA, but her last two have not been as strong. The SRF drop is not as big, so perhaps, this is just a matter of bad racing luck. She is still ninth in BC Distaff points.

5- Decimas Queen (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- The next two posts will be occupied by the last two winners of the Hirsch Stakes. For Decimas Queen, that win came in 2024, the same year where she finished as the runner up to Wasted Away in the KYO. She’d run in the BC Distaff, and finished in the middle of the field, but would ultimately have a quiet year in 2025. Inconsistencies as a four year led to Maxmillion Farm trying out some different conditions with her, and she has been better this year. Won the Grade 3 Modesty Stakes on the CD grass in May, before going back to the main track for the Grade 1 Phipps, and running second at the Spa that day, being another in this field who was edged out by Starting Over at the wire.

6- Present Tense (Mb Stables, ridden by R Santana Jr)- Last year, Present Tense returned to the Hirsch Stakes for the second time and looked to improve on her second place effort in 2023. She would accomplish that, adding this race to her resume while earning a 101 SRF in the process. Later on, she would win an even bigger one, taking home none other than the BC Distaff. That’s been her last victory, but she has only run four times thus far this year, and has been second twice, including last time out in the Grade 2 Santa Margarita from SA. A win by her, or Decimas Queen, would make them the first two-time winner of the race. Dead heat, anyone?

7- Great Eclipse (Night Rider Stables, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Most of her early career was spent in overnights, and she ran well in those races. But it has been with Night Rider Stables, and particularly since last October, where she has come to life. First, she showed that she could step up and perform in ungraded stakes, not missing a beat and hitting the board in three of them before eventually winning the $100.00 Henson Handicap at SUN. With that, saying she was successful moving into graded races is an understatement, as she placed second in the $1,250.00 Apple Blossom at OP then went wire to wire in winning the Grade 2 Santa Margarita, knocking off Gutter Black and Present Tense. She’s never been better than she is right now, and may be the one to spoil the Hirsch’s past winners party.

8- Ontario Pharmacist (Williams9, ridden by Jo Dominguez)- Someone needs to put her on a new prescription, because the last two races for her have been absolutely ugly. After losing by eight lengths in the $100.00 Summertime Oaks, the three year old is not moved down, but is moved up to stronger competition. That’s not a throw out, because her run Eight Belles was also subpar. Her best races on the year were still simply fifth place showings, so she hasn’t earned a cent yet. Here, she does have the advantage of a four pound weight allowance, but I’m just not seeing it with her. Maybe she can make me a believer on Saturday.

Prediction: 7-2-5-1

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES