Pierrepont Handicap
ClassDiscontinued stakes
Horse racePierrepont Handicap
LocationJamaica Race Course
Jamaica, Queens, New York
United States
Inaugurated1887–1907
Race typeThoroughbred – Flat racing
Distance1904–1918, 1926–1932 :
1 1⁄8 miles (9 furlongs)
1919–1925 :
1 1⁄4 miles (10 furlongs)
SurfaceDirt
Trackleft-handed
Qualification1904–1909 : two years & older
1910–1932 : three years & older

The Pierrepont Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race first run in 1904 at the Jamaica Race Course in Jamaica, Queens, New York operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club which had begun racing operations the previous year. The race was open to three-year-olds of either sex and run on dirt over a distance of 1 1/8 miles.[1]

Race history

The inaugural running of the Pierrepont was the feature event of the October 17, 1904 racecard and was won by Dolly Spanker who was trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee T. J. Healey.[2] In 1905's second edition, the two time Champion racemare Eugenia Burch set a new track record while carrying top weight in a field of thirteen.[3]

Disruption

The 1880s saw intense lobbying by a moralist movement to have betting on horse racing banned in the states of New Jersey and New York. They achieved their goals in New Jersey when the 1893 election gave Republicans control of the New Jersey Legislature who then passed legislation on March 21, 1894 that banned betting on horse racing in that state.[4] The bill was signed into law by Democratic Governor George Werts, the effect of which was the complete cessation of horse racing in New Jersey that would last for more than five decades until the law was rescinded in 1946. The moralists then stepped up their activities to obtain the same ban in New York state which caused years of uncertainty. With the state's Hart–Agnew anti-wagering legislation in process, the Jamaica Race Course saw its opening day betting drop from $20,000 in 1907 to just $900 in 1908.[5] For the track's fall racing program, the Pierrepont Handicap had to be dropped from the schedule. Although the race returned in 1909, and was won by James R. Keene's future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Maskette, it would be the last time it was held until 1918. That year Roamer, another future Hall of Fame inductee, won what was the sixth running of the Pierrepont Handicap.[6]

The severe financial difficulties of the Great Depression would spell the end for the Pierrepont Handicap in 1932. The final running was won by Sonny Whitney's four-year-old horse Halcyon.[7]

Records

Speed record:

  • 1 1/8 miles: 1:51.00 – Distraction (1929)
  • 1 1/4 miles: 2:04.00 – Blind Play (1925)

Most wins:

  • No horse won this race more than once

Most wins by a jockey:

Most wins by a trainer:

Most wins by an owner:

Winners

Year
Winner
Age
Jockey
Trainer
Owner
Dist.
(Miles)		Time
Win$
1932Halcyon4Alfred RobertsonT. J. HealeyC. V. Whitney11⁄8 M1:52.40$1,700
1931Ormesby3Eddie DeCamillisJames E. FitzsimmonsBelair Stud Stable11⁄8 M1:55.60$2,980
1930Sun Edwin5Linus McAteeGeorge M. OdomArden Farms11⁄8 M1:55.00$5,300
1929Distraction4James H. BurkeJames E. FitzsimmonsWheatley Stable11⁄8 M1:51.00$5,950
1928Black Panther4Frank MoonT. J. HealeyWalter J. Salmon Sr.11⁄8 M1:51.20$6,100
1927Kentucky3Laverne FatorMax HirschA. Charles Schwartz11⁄8 M1:51.60$6,050
1926Peanuts4George EllisGeorge M. OdomRobert L. Gerry11⁄8 M1:51.40$6,050
1925Blind Play4Laverne FatorLouis FeustelLog Cabin Stable (W. A. Harriman & G. H. Walker)11⁄4 M2:04.00$6,250
1924Aga Khan3Edgar BarnesJames E. FitzsimmonsBelair Stud Stable11⁄4 M2:01.80$6,250
1923Sunsini3Laverne FatorFrank M. BrayLilane Stable (Mrs. William L. Walker)11⁄4 M2:04.80$4,750
1922Mad Hatter6Earl SandeSam HildrethRancocas Stable11⁄4 M2:03.40$4,850
1921Audacious5Clarence KummerSandy McNaughtonForeign Stable11⁄4 M2:06.80$4,950
1920Cirrus4Lavelle EnsorSam HildrethSam Hildreth11⁄4 M2:06.00$4,850
1919Hannibal3Clarence KummerT. J. HealeyRichard T. Wilson Jr.11⁄8 M2:00.80$2,550
1918Roamer7Andy SchuttingerA. J. GoldsboroughAndrew Miller11⁄8 M1:52.60$2,550
1910– 1917Race not held
1909Maskette3James ButwellJames G. Rowe Sr.James R. Keene11⁄8 M1:54.40$2,000
1908Race not held
1907Gretna Green3Walter MillerJames G. Rowe Sr.James R. Keene11⁄8 M1:53.40$2,925
1906Belmere3James HennessyFred BurlewFred Burlew11⁄8 M1:54.80$3,120
1905Eugenia Burch5William B. BuchananW. P. MaxwellLibby Curtis11⁄8 M1:52.80$3,075
1904Dolly Spanker3Arthur RedfernT. J. HealeyRichard T. Wilson Jr.11⁄8 M1:53.40$2,550

References

  1. ^ "Gretna Green's Surprise – The tabulated history of the Pierrepont Handicap". Daily Racing Form. 1907-10-22. Retrieved 2019-01-10. – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  2. ^ "Dolly Spanker Is Stake Winner". New York Evening World. 1904-10-17. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  3. ^ "Eugenia Burch First In Track Record Time". New York Times. 1905-10-17. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  4. ^ "About Monmouth Park". Monmouth Park Racetrack. 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  5. ^ "How New York Betting Has Diminished". Daily Racing Form. 1908-05-05. Retrieved 2019-01-10. – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  6. ^ "Jamaica Form Chart". Daily Racing Form. 1918-10-06. Retrieved 2019-01-10. – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  7. ^ "Jamaica". Daily Racing Form. 1932-10-13. Retrieved 2019-01-14. – via University of Kentucky Archives.