| Class | Discontinued stakes |
|---|---|
| Horse race | Reapers Stakes |
| Location | Sheepshead Bay Race Track Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York |
| Inaugurated | 1887–1907 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Distance | 1 3⁄16 miles (9.5 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-years-old |
The Reapers Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Held in September, the race was open to three-year-olds of either sex. It was run on dirt over a distance of 1 3/16 miles except for 1903 when it was set at 1 3/8 miles.[1]
On June 19, 1880 the Sheepshead Bay facility hosted its first day of Thoroughbred racing.[2] Success made the addition of more stakes races possible and in 1887 the Reapers Stakes had its inaugural running. That race was won by Belvidere, a colt owned by the Preakness Stables of James Galway, a successful wholesaler of grocery store products and a Steward of The Jockey Club. The final running took place in 1907 and was won by the 20:1 outsider, Blue Book.[3]
Demise of the Reapers Stakes
After years of uncertainty, on June 11, 1908 the Republican controlled New York Legislature under Governor Charles Evans Hughes passed the Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation with penalties allowing for fines and up to a year in prison.[4] The owners of Sheepshead Bay Race Track, and other racing facilities in New York State, struggled to stay in business without income from betting.[5] Racetrack operators had no choice but to drastically reduce the purse money being paid out which resulted in the Reapers Stakes being dropped from the 1908 schedule to enable a redistribution of funds to the most high-profile races.[6] Further restrictive legislation was passed by the New York Legislature in 1910 which deepened the financial crisis for track operators and led to a complete shut down of racing across the state during 1911 and 1912. When a Court ruling saw racing return in 1913 it was too late for the Sheepshead Bay horse racing facility and it never reopened.
Records
Speed record: (new track record)
- 1:59.40 – Heno (1902)
Most wins by a jockey:
- 3 – Fred Taral (1891, 1896, 1898)
Most wins by a trainer:
- 2 – John W. Rogers (1889, 1894)
- 2 – Charles Littlefield Sr. (1898, 1901)
Most wins by an owner:
- 2 – Preakness Stables (1887, 1897)
- 2 – Rancocas Stable (1892, 1900)
- 2 – Charles Littlefield Sr. (1898, 1901)
Winners
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Dist. (Miles) | Time | Win$ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | Blue Book | 3 | R. Lowe | Stephen J. Lawler | James F. Carroll | 13⁄16 M | 2:05.00 | $3,375 |
| 1906 | Entrée | 3 | Herman Radtke | Thomas H. McCreery | Frederick A. Johnson | 13⁄16 M | 2:00.60 | $3,475 |
| 1905 | Coy Maid | 3 | Willie Knapp | John I. Smith | Kenilworth Stable (Frederick C. McLewee) | 13⁄16 M | 2:01.60 | $3,275 |
| 1904 | Aurumaster | 3 | William Crimmins | Matthew Feakes | H. J. Morris | 13⁄16 M | 2:00.00 | $3,025 |
| 1903 | Eugenia Burch | 3 | Grover Fuller | William C. Smith | Libby Curtis | 13⁄8 M | 2:20.80 | $2,100 |
| 1902 | Heno | 3 | Harry Michaels | William Lakeland Sr. | William S. Fanshawe | 13⁄16 M | 1:59.40 | $2,300 |
| 1901 | Watercolor | 3 | Henry Spencer | Charles Littlefield Sr. | Charles Littlefield Sr. | 13⁄16 M | 1:59.80 | $1,720 |
| 1900 | David Garrick | 3 | John Bullman | A. Jack Joyner | Rancocas Stable | 13⁄16 M | 2:00.40 | $1,580 |
| 1899 | Kinley Mack | 3 | Patrick McCue | Peter Wimmer | Augustus Eastin & Samuel E. Larabie | 13⁄16 M | 2:02.40 | $1,280 |
| 1898 | Latson | 3 | Fred Taral | Charles Littlefield Sr. | Charles Littlefield Sr. | 13⁄16 M | 2:04.00 | $1,070 |
| 1897 | Imperator | 3 | Charles A. Thorpe | Edward Feakes | Preakness Stables | 13⁄16 M | 2:03.20 | $1,450 |
| 1896 | Peep o'Day | 3 | Fred Taral | James H. McCormick | James H. McCormick | 13⁄16 M | 2:06.60 | $1,400 |
| 1895 | Flying Dutchman | 3 | Jerry Chorn | Patrick Dunne | Patrick Dunne | 13⁄16 M | 2:02.00 | $1,400 |
| 1894 | Dorian | 3 | Willie Simms | John W. Rogers | John W. Rogers | 13⁄16 M | 2:01.40 | $1,480 |
| 1893 | Sir Francis | 3 | Edward Garrison | Matthew Byrnes | Marcus Daly | 13⁄16 M | 2:02.00 | $1,215 |
| 1892 | Kilkenny | 3 | Anthony Hamilton | John Huggins | Rancocas Stable | 13⁄16 M | 2:03.20 | $1,605 |
| 1891 | La Tosca | 3 | Fred Taral | Frank M. Bray | Schuylkill Stable (Hough Brothers) | 13⁄16 M | 2:03.00 | $1,545 |
| 1890 | Ruperta | 3 | Alonzo Allen | B. J. Johnson | 13⁄16 M | 2:02.40 | $1,425 | |
| 1889 | Buddhist | 3 | Marty Bergen | John W. Rogers | Samuel S. Brown | 13⁄16 M | 2:08.40 | $1,720 |
| 1888 | My Own | 3 | Rifleshine | R. Wyndham Walden | R. Wyndham Walden | 13⁄16 M | 2:04.20 | $1,600 |
| 1887 | Belvidere | 3 | Jim McLaughlin | Preakness Stables | 13⁄16 M | 2:03.00 | $1,340 |
References
- ^ "Condensed History of the Reapers Stakes". Daily Racing Form. 1907-09-05. Retrieved 2018-12-21. – via University of Kentucky Archives.
- ^ "Coney Island Jockey Club; Programme for the September Meeting". The New York Times. September 3, 1879. p. 3. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
- ^ "Blue Book; 20 To 1, Wins The Reapers". Daily Racing Form. 1907-09-06. Retrieved 2018-12-22. – via University of Kentucky Archives.
- ^ "Penalties in the New York Bills". Daily Racing Form. 1908-01-18. Retrieved 2018-10-26. – via University of Kentucky Archives.
- ^ "Keep Up Betting Ban". New York Times. 1908-09-01. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
- ^ "Striking Falling off in Value of Ten Greatest Stakes". Daily Racing Form. 1910-07-16. Retrieved 2018-10-15. – via University of Kentucky Archives.