The Wise Dan Stakes is a Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for horses four-year-old and older run at a distance of one and one sixteenth of a mile on the turf held annually in June at Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky.

The event was inaugurated on 4 July 1983 as the Firecracker Handicap over a distance of 7 furlongs on a sloppy dirt track and was won by Shot n' Missed who defeated the odds on favorite Dave's Friend in a five horse field.^[1] In the third running in 1985 the winner Rapid Gray set a new track record for the distance in a time of 1:211⁄5.^[2] The event was discontinued for seven years and when it was revived in 1993 it was held on the turf course over a distance of one mile.^[3]

The event was classified as Grade III in 1995, and upgraded to Grade II in 2002.^[3]

The event attracted several champion turf runners including Kitten's Joy who won the event in 2004 and later that year became U.S. Champion Male Turf Horse and Miesque's Approval who won this event in 2006 and later that year would capture the Breeders' Cup Mile.

The only duel winner was Wise Dan of this event who in 2011 won in his turf debut and 2013.^[4] Later in 2013 Wise Dan was crowned American Horse of the Year for the second year running.

The race was renamed as the Wise Dan Stakes in 2016^[5]

The distance was increased from 1 mile to 1+1⁄16 miles also in 2016.^[5]

The race was placed on hiatus in June 2022 due to the suspension of turf racing at Churchill Downs.^[6]

In 2023 the event was moved to Ellis Park after Churchill Downs closed their spring meeting earlier due to a spate of injuries.^[7]

Speed records

• 1+1⁄16 miles: 1:40.26 – Kasaqui (ARG) (2017)
• 1 mile: 1:33.78 – Jaggery John (1995)
• 7 furlongs: 1:21.20 – Rapid Gray (1985)

Margins

• 3+1⁄2 lengths – Soviet Line (IRE) (1997)

Most wins

• 2 – Wise Dan (2011, 2013)

Most wins by a jockey

• 2 – Robby Albarado (1999, 2014)
• 2 – Kent J. Desormeaux (2008, 2009)
• 2 – Shane Sellers (2000, 2004)
• 2 – Pat Day (1997, 2002)
• 2 – Florent Geroux (2018, 2021)

Most wins by a trainer

• 4 – Dale L. Romans (2003, 2004, 2008, 2014)

Most wins by an owner

• 2 – Mason Rudd (1994, 1996)
• 2 – Gainsborough Farm (1997, 2001)
• 2 – Live Oak Plantation (2006, 2019)

List of American and Canadian Graded races

• 2022 Media guide information from Churchill Downs $400,000 Wise Dan (Grade II) -