ThePersonal Ensign Stakes is an AmericanGrade IThoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of August atSaratoga Race Course inSaratoga Springs, New York. Open tofillies andMares age three and older, it is contested at a distance of one and one-eighth miles on dirt.

Since 1997, this race has been named forU.S. Racing Hall of Fame filly,Personal Ensign. Undefeated in racing, Personal Ensign was also a greatbroodmare. Her granddaughter Storm Flag Flying won the race in 2004.^[2]

Inaugurated atJamaica Race Course in 1948 as theFirenze Handicap, it was named for the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame filly,Firenze. From 1986 through 1996 it was run as theJohn A. Morris Handicap, named to honorJohn Albert Morris, a prominent horseman who in 1889 built theMorris Park Racecourse inThe Bronx, New York.

Since inception, the race has also been hosted by all three tracks operated by theNew York Racing Association:

• Jamaica Race Course: 1948–1957
• Aqueduct Racetrack: 1960–1974, 1976–1985
• Belmont Park: 1975
• Saratoga Race Course: 1958–1959, 1986–present

The race has been contested at various distances:

• 1+1⁄16 miles: 1948–1950
• 1 mile: 1960–1961
• 1+3⁄8 miles: 1975
• 1+1⁄8 miles: 1976–1994, 2012–present
• 1+1⁄4 miles: 1995–2011

The Firenze Handicap was run onturf from 1972 to 1975 and run in two divisions in 1972 and 1974. The 1988 race was run for purse money only, no wagering, after being postponed for one day due to severe thunderstorms that forced cancellation of the remainder of the racing card at Saratoga Springs on Aug. 28, 1988.

Speed record:

• 2:02.07 – Shadow Cast (2005) (at the distance of1+1⁄4 miles)
• 1:47.19 – Abel Tasman (2018) (at the current distance of1+1⁄8 miles)

Most wins:

• 2 – Lie Low (1974, 1975)
• 2 – Politely (1967, 1968)
• 2 –Beautiful Pleasure (1999, 2000)

Most wins by ajockey:

• 8 –Ángel Cordero Jr. (1968, 1972 (2), 1976, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989)

Most wins by atrainer:

• 4 –C. R. McGaughey III (1990, 1995, 2004, 2010)
• 4 –MacKenzie Miller (1959, 1974, 1975, 1993)

Most wins by an owner:

• 3 –Rokeby Stable (1956, 1969, 1993)
• 3 –Ogden Phipps (1980, 1990, 1995) (other members of thePhipps family also won in 1976, 2004 and 2010)

• The 2008 Personal Ensign Stakes atThoroughbred Times
• The Personal Ensign at the NYRA
• Ten Things You Should Know About the Personal Ensign Stakes at Hello Race Fans