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37-607: The first Sheepshead Bay Handicap was a race run from 1888 through 1910 at the now defunct Sheepshead Bay Race Track at Sheepshead Bay , New York . When the Sheepshead Bay Race Track closed the event was discontinued. The event was revived at the Jamaica Race Course on 26 October 1957 as a six furlong sprint named the Sheepshead Bay Handicap for three-year-olds and older and was won by Be Jeepers in

74-515: A jockey : Most wins by a trainer : Legend:    Dirt    Turf Notes: § Ran as an entry The original Sheepshead Bay Handicap was open to horses age three and older and was contested on dirt at a distance of one mile (8 furlongs ). It was last run in June 1910 after the Republican controlled New York Legislature under Governor Charles Evans Hughes passed

111-609: A thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is then assigned to the race, based on statistical analysis of the quality of the field in previous years, provided the race meets the minimum purse criteria for the grade in question. In Canada,

148-495: A neck over Nubile. Cicada would later be crowned the 1963 U.S. Champion Older Female Horse . In 1965 the distance of the event was increased to 1 + 3 ⁄ 16 miles and was run until 1974 at that journey. The event continued to be held in July during Aqueduct's short summer meeting. The Sheepshead Bay was run in two divisions five times, four times at Aqueduct and after the event was moved permanently to Belmont Park in 1982. In

185-562: A racetrack personally liable for any betting done on their premises, with or without their consent. Such an onerous liability was intolerable and meant that by 1911 all racetracks in the state ceased operations. Although a February 21, 1913 ruling by the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division paved the way for racing to resume that year, by then it was too late for horse racing at the Sheepshead Bay Race Track and it

222-416: A racetrack may offer a high purse to attract better fields so the race will be upgraded in future years. The grade level is assigned by looking at data that indicates quality of the field for the last five years. In order to achieve or maintain a Grade I, it is necessary to attract a competitive field over a number of years. For graded turf races, track conditions (normally excessive rain) may sometimes force

259-595: A similar grading system is maintained by the Jockey Club of Canada . Graded stakes races are similar to Group races in Europe but the grading is more dynamic in North America. A high grading can also be used by racetracks to promote the race in question. When determining Eclipse Award winners, racing journalists will consider the number and grade of a horse's stakes wins during the year. In general, stakes race refers to

296-514: A summary of 1909 racing, the Daily Racing Form reported that "Sheepshead Bay, which for years led the country in daily average distribution, yielded first place in 1909 to Belmont Park, which August Belmont and his associates are ambitious to make the "turf headquarters of America"." A 1910 amendment to the Hart–Agnew legislation added further restrictions that made the owners and directors of

333-472: A time 1:11 2 ⁄ 5 The event was not held in 1958. In 1959 the event was held at Jamaica Race Course for the last time in mid July at a distance of 1 + 1 ⁄ 8 miles and was won by the 40-1 longshot Greek Star. With the closure of the Jamaica Race Course the event was transferred to Aqueduct Racetrack and held on the new turf track. In 1962 the conditions of the event were change that

370-579: The Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation on June 11, 1908. The owners of Sheepshead Bay Race Track, and other racing facilities in New York State, struggled to stay in business without betting. However, further restrictive legislation was passed by the New York Legislature in 1910 which resulted in the deepening of the financial crisis for track operators and led to a complete shut down of racing across

407-555: The Manhattan Beach Branch of the Long Island Rail Road showing the spur that served both the club and the racetrack indicates the entrance to the club was located on the east side of Ocean Avenue between Avenues X and Y. The Sheepshead Bay Race Track station contained six tracks and three island platforms . In its first year of operations, the new Sheepshead Bay track hosted a 1½ mile match race between two of

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444-655: The Sheepshead Bay Handicap was named in honor of the old racetrack, and first run at the now-defunct Jamaica Race Course in Jamaica, New York . It, too, is currently held at Belmont Park. The new owner converted the horse track to a board automobile race track . Several auto races were held from October 1915, through September 1919, including the Astor Cup Race and the Harkness Trophy Race . The Sheepshead Bay Speedway Corporation ran into financial difficulties following

481-726: The Sheepshead Bay Stakes . In 2014 the conditions of the event were changed so that three-year-old fillies would not be allowed to enter. In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States , NYRA did not schedule the event. In 2024 the event was downgraded by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to Grade III status. Also the event in 2024 was moved to Aqueduct Racetrack due to infield tunnel and redevelopment work at Belmont Park. Speed record: Margins: Most wins: Most wins by an owner: Most wins by

518-411: The horseshoe , designed to improve traction, be no longer than 2 millimeters. This was in response to studies by Susan Stover showing that such toe grabs substantially increase the risk of catastrophic racing injuries. Recently, racing officials have also banned the use of furosemide (Lasix) in all Black Type races, which include graded and listed stakes races. A newly established race may inherit

555-555: The British system being Grade I, Grade II, Grade III. However, the advent of the Internet meant that format would eventually be mostly abandoned in favor of G1, G2, G3. Used by TOBA itself, and most significantly by Equibase Company LLC that is the official supplier of racing information and statistics to America's Best Racing , Breeders' Cup , Daily Racing Form , NTRA , The Jockey Club , TRA, TVG , and Xpressbet . A notable exception to

592-541: The Coney Island Jockey Club opened the first turf racecourse in the United States. The Club replaced the Sheepshead Bay steeplechase course with a one-mile turf course, built inside the existing main dirt track. The Green Grass Stakes was the first race on turf and was run as part of the June 10 opening day program. A race for three-year-old horses, it was contested at a distance of a mile and an eighth and

629-441: The change in format being the three New York Racing Association tracks. Fasig-Tipto began including grading information in 1975, Keeneland Association in 1976, and Daily Racing Form in 1978. In 1998, Canada began to grade Canadian races independently. Listed stakes were first added as a level in 2013. The American Graded Stakes Committee grades only races that: In 2008, the committee began requiring that toe grabs on

666-450: The death of its majority shareholder Harry Harkness in January 1919. The property was sold in 1923 for residential real estate development . No trace of the racetrack can be found today. Other defunct New York race tracks: 40°35′32″N 73°56′50″W  /  40.59222°N 73.94722°W  / 40.59222; -73.94722 Graded stakes race A graded stakes race is

703-466: The distance was increased to the current 1 + 3 ⁄ 8 miles. In 1983 Henryk de Kwiatkowski 's owned and trained by the US Hall of Fame trainer Woody Stephens Sabin won this event as a three-year-old filly. Sabin won the following year carrying 125 pounds to victory. In 1990 the event was moved off the turf and was downgraded to Grade III . It held this classification status until 1995 when it

740-511: The event was for fillies and mares three-years-old or older. The event was scheduled to be run on the turf track but was transferred to the dirt and held over a distance of one mile due to cancellation of all turf racing for the rest of their summer meeting after an incident the previous Saturday. In 1963 the distance of the event was reduced to 1 + 1 ⁄ 16 miles and was won by the reigning U.S. Champion Three-Year-Old Filly Cicada who carried an imposing weight of 128 pounds winning by

777-453: The event was held back at Aqueduct at a distance of 1 + 1 ⁄ 8 miles and US Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day won both divisions of the event - On Glowing Tribute and Fleet Victress. In 1977 the event was moved to Belmont Park where it has been held since. Glowing Tribute won the event again ridden by US Hall of Fame jockey Jorge Velásquez setting a new track record for the 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles in 1:59 3 ⁄ 5 . In 1980

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814-496: The graded status of a discontinued race if it is held at the same facility under essentially identical conditions as the discontinued race. For example, the inaugural running of the Pegasus World Cup in January 2017 was Grade I, inheriting the status of the discontinued Donn Handicap . There are four grade levels, from Listed at the bottom to Grade I at the top. The latter are higher-class races for bigger prizes for horses of

851-457: The great filly Maskette , ran second to King James in the final edition in 1910. Speed record: Most wins: Most wins by a jockey : Most wins by an owner: Sheepshead Bay Race Track The Sheepshead Bay Race Track was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility built on the site of the Coney Island Jockey Club at Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn , New York. The racetrack

888-532: The purse or quality of field. Conversely, some races that are not technically stakes races (usually invitational races where entry fees are not required by the racetrack) may be eligible for grading if they meet the quality standards. European authorities implemented the Pattern race system in 1972 and requested that North America implement a similar method, leading to the development of the graded stakes system by TOBA in 1973. The first list of North American Graded Stakes

925-421: The race to be run on the main (dirt) track. If this happens, the race is automatically downgraded by one grade level for that running only. The Committee then reviews the race within five days and may restore the original grade. For example, a Grade I turf race that is switched to the dirt will be recorded as a Grade II race, unless the committee feels the quality of the race was sufficient to warrant Grade I. In

962-458: The running of the Second Division of the event in 1970 the winner Pattee Canyon carried a record 132 pounds . In 1973 the first year the classification system was enacted, the event was set with Grade II status. The 1974 running was moved of the turf after a week of prolonged wet weather. In 1975 the event was held at Belmont Park over a distance of 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles. In 1976

999-477: The same age and sex). Furthermore, there are "conditions" races, in which horses carry weights that are set by conditions, such as having won a certain number of races, or races of a certain value. Finally, some graded stakes are " handicaps ", in which an official handicapper assigns weights to each horse in an attempt to equalize the competition. All Grade I races must have a purse of at least $ 300,000, but not all races with such high purses are Grade I. For example,

1036-402: The same age group (2, 3 or 3 and up) and may further be restricted by sex. The weight conditions of the races may vary provided they meet the committee's standards to ensure competitiveness. Many grade I races are " weight-for-age ", with weights adjusted only according to age and sex, and also there are "set weights" where all horses carry the same weight (usually applicable when all horses are of

1073-533: The stake, or entry fee, owners must pay, which generally forms part of the prize money offered to the top finishers. Not all stakes races are eligible for grading. Notably, races that are restricted to horses bred in a specific state (e.g., the Tiznow Stakes for California-breds) or country (e.g., the races that make up the Canadian Triple Crown , all restricted to Canadian-breds) are excluded, regardless of

1110-464: The state during 1911 and 1912. When a Court ruling saw racing return in 1913 it was too late for the Sheepshead Bay facility and it never reopened. Sir Walter finished third in the two editions of the race when it was won by Don Alonzo in 1894 and the following year by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Domino . In 1900, another future Hall of Fame inductee, Imp , finished third to longshot winner Greyfeld. A third future Hall of Fame inductee,

1147-525: The top horses racing at the time in the United States. The Dwyer Brothers' Luke Blackburn was ridden by Jim McLaughlin , and Pierre Lorillard's Uncas was ridden by Tom Costello . Luke Blackburn won by twenty lengths. Sheepshead Bay had both a dirt and a turf course. Principal backers were: The new Sheepshead Bay Race Track's premier event was the Suburban Handicap , first run on June 10, 1884 and conceived by James G. K. Lawrence, who became

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1184-697: The track's president. Four years later Lawrence would also create the Futurity Stakes , first run on Labor Day in 1888. At the time, the Futurity was the richest race ever run in the United States. Today, both the Suburban and the Futurity are ongoing Graded stakes races held at the Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont on Long Island . The Lawrence Realization Stakes was named for James G. K. Lawrence. On June 10, 1886

1221-572: Was built by a group of prominent businessmen from the New York City area who formed the Coney Island Jockey Club in 1879. Led by Leonard Jerome , James R. Keene , and the track's president, William Kissam Vanderbilt , the Club held seasonal race cards at nearby Prospect Park fairgrounds until construction of the new race course was completed. On June 19, 1880 the track hosted its first day of Thoroughbred racing . Old maps and railroad track diagrams for

1258-472: Was published in 1974. The original purpose of grading was to identify the most competitive races, which helps horsemen make comparisons of the relative quality of bloodstock for breeding and sales purposes. When the race-grading program was being set up for its 1973 introduction by the American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association it was done so as to match the data formatting in use by

1295-620: Was ultimately sold to the Sheepshead Bay Speedway Corporation who used it for automobile racing. In December 1919, what the Daily Racing Form called one of the most famous racetracks in the history of the American turf, was purchased for real estate development . The facility was torn down and the land subdivided into building lots . Stakes race titles Ŧ One of the three Sheepshead Bay Autumn Serials. In 1959,

1332-406: Was upgraded back to Grade II. In 1997 Maxzene set a new stakes record in winning in 2:11.57 which stands today. The 2003 longshot winner Mariensky ridden John R. Velazquez by won the event by a record of 8 + 1 ⁄ 4 lengths on a soft track in a slow time of 2:28.19. In 2009 the conditions of the event were changed from handicap to stakes allowance and the name of the event was modified to

1369-422: Was won by Emory & Cotton's Dry Monopole in a time of 157.00. In 1908, the administration of Governor Charles Evans Hughes signed into law the Hart–Agnew bill that effectively banned all racetrack betting in the state of New York . The legislation allowed for fines and up to a year in prison which was strictly enforced. Compounding matters for the Sheepshead Bay track was intense competition. In

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