The race is named after the Donn family, who for many years owned and operated the racetrack.
The Donn Handicap is a Grade I race open to horses four years old and up. It is raced on dirt over a distance of one and one-eighth miles and currently offers a $500,000 purse. Recently the race has become the premier prep race in North America for the Dubai World Cup.
Three horses have won the race twice. Inaugurated at a distance of a mile and a half, the only horse to ever win the race twice at that distance was One-Eyed-King who did it back-to-back in 1959 and 1960. At its present distance of one and one-eighth miles, Pistols and Roses won it back-to-back in 1993 and 1994 as did the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Cigar for the two ensuing years.