The event was inaugurated on 1 April 1972 as the
Latonia Spiral Stakes over a distance of one mile, established by the General Manager of the Latonia race track John Battaglia for horses "spiraling up" to the
Kentucky Derby. The race in its infancy attracted many entries and the administration of the track decided to run the event in two divisions in the following years: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, and 1980. In 1982,
bourbon whiskey maker
Jim Beam acquired naming rights sponsorship and the race was renamed the
Jim Beam Spiral Stakes. That year the distance of event was increased to miles. In 1988, two years after the track changed owners and was renamed Turfway Park, it was upgraded to a Grade II race and was lengthened to miles. Vinery Racing sponsored the Spiral Stakes in 2011 and 2012. In 1991
Hansel set a track and stakes record while winning the Jim Beam Stakes on his way to winning champion three-year-old honors, while
Serena's Song became the first
filly to win the race in 1995. Winners who would go on to capture at least one of the
American Classic Races include
Summer Squall (1990),
Lil E. Tee (1992),
Prairie Bayou (1993), and
Animal Kingdom (2011). ==Records==