The inaugural running of the event was on 19 November 1977 as the
Aqueduct Turf Classic Stakes and was won by
Johnny D., ridden by 17-year-old
Steve Cauthen by lengths in a time of 2:33. In 1979, the event was classified as Grade I and was returned to the Aqueduct and was held there until 1983. and being crowned
US Champion Female Turf Horse and
US Horse of the Year. Other notable champions to win the event in the pre-
Breeders' Cup era include the French bred mare, winner in 1978,
Waya, who was crowned the
US Champion Older Female Horse the following year. The Irish bred filly
April Run won the event twice in 1981 and 1982. In 1982 she also won the
Washington D.C. International and was voted as
US Champion Female Turf Horse.
John Henry remarkably won this event in 1984 as a nine-year-old and what would be his second last start. He was crowned the
US Horse of the Year that year. Early in the
Breeders' Cup era the event immediately become one of the major preparatory races for the
Breeders' Cup Turf. The 1986 winner, the three-year-old
Manila, and the 1987 winner, the
Irish bred Theatrical, both won the
Breeders' Cup Turf and were voted
US Champion Male Turf Horse. In 1994
Tikkanen also won the Turf Classic-
Breeders' Cup Turf double enroute to
US Champion Male Turf Horse. In 2004 the event was renamed in honor of
Joe Hirsch, the award-winning racing
columnist and founding president of the
National Turf Writers Association. Joe Hirsch, aged 80, died on January 9, 2009. Dual winner
English Channel was a
Breeders' Cup Turf winner in 2007 and also the sire of Channel Maker, a dual winner (2018, 2020) and second-placed finisher in 2019 of this event. In 2022 the event was moved to
Aqueduct Racetrack due to infield tunnel and redevelopment work at
Belmont Park. The 2022 & 2023 winner was
English Channel's daughter
War Like Goddess, with his offspring successful in the event for the fourth time. ==Records==