Champion Stakes (United States)

{{for|other races with similar names|Champion Stakes (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox horseraces

| class = Discontinued stakes

| horse race = Champion Stakes

| image =

| caption =

| location = Long Branch Racetrack
Long Branch, New Jersey, United States

| inaugurated = 1879

| race type = Thoroughbred - Flat racing

| website =

| distance = {{frac|1|1|2}} miles (12 furlongs)

| surface = Dirt

| track = left-handed

| qualification = All ages

| weight = Assigned

| purse =

| bonuses =

}}

The Champion Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in August at the Monmouth Park Association's racetrack in Long Branch, New Jersey. Inaugurated in 1879, the Champion Stakes was open to horses of any age and was raced on dirt over a distance of one and one half miles (12 furlongs).

In 1891, the races at Long Branch had to be shifted to racetracks in New York when government legislation attempted to inhibit parimutuel wagering. The races were split between the Jerome Park Racetrack in Fordham, Bronx and at the nearby Morris Park Racecourse at Westchester Village.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1891/06/29/archives/no-races-at-long-branch-stake-dates-fixed-for-morris-and-jerome.html|title = No Races at Long Branch; Stake Dates Fixed for Morris and Jerome Park Tracks. The Monmouth Park Racing Association Abandons Hope of Racing at ITS Own Track and Prepares for ITS Summer Campaign Here|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 29 June 1891}} The Monmouth Park Racing Association closed and the land sold after its operating license was revoked in 1893 and government legislation was enacted that banned parimutuel wagering.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1893/12/26/archives/monmouth-parks-license-revoked-action-taken-by-the-local.html|title=MONMOUTH PArk's LICENSE REVOKED.; Action Taken by the Local Authorities in August Just Made Public|newspaper=The New York Times|date=26 December 1893}}

In the final running of the Champion Stakes in 1892, Lamplighter set a new stakes and track record.