Islip Handicap Explained

Class:Discontinued stakes
Horse Race:Islip Handicap
Location:Brighton Beach Race Course, Brighton Beach, New York
(1899–1909)

Empire City Race Track in Yonkers, New York (1910)

Inaugurated:1899
Race Type:Thoroughbred – Flat racing
Distance: miles (9 furlongs)
Surface:Dirt
Track:Left-handed
Qualification:Three-years-old & up

The Islip Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually from 1899 through 1907 at New York's Brighton Beach Race Course and then for a final time in 1910 with a drastically reduced purse at Empire City Race Track in Yonkers, New York. A race for horses age three and older, it was contested on dirt over a distance of one mile for the first two runnings then at a mile and one-eighth for the remainder.

Historical notes

The filly Imp won the 1899 inaugural running of the Islip Handicap. She would go on to earn recognition as that year's American Horse of the Year and induction into the U. S. Racing Hall of Fame in 1965.[1]

In winning the 1902 edition, Bonnibert broke the Brighton Beach track record for the mile and one-eighth with a time of 1:51 flat.[2]

End of a race and of a racetrack

The Brighton Beach Race Course prospered until 1908 when the New York Legislature passed the Hart–Agnew Law banning gambling in New York State.[3] [4] Motor racing events were held at the facility in an attempt to keep the track from closing permanently but even after horse racing returned to New York it was too late to save the business.

At the time it ceased horse racing operations, the Brighton Beach Race Course was the oldest horse track in steady use in the New York City area.[5]

Records

Speed record:

Most wins:

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
$
1910Restigouche5Carroll ShillingSam HildrethSam Hildreth mi1:53.20$925
1908– 1909Race not held due to the ramifications of the Hart–Agnew Law
1907Far West5Joe NotterJohn MillerMorton L. Schwartz mi1:53.00$2,355
1906Dishabille4Roscoe TroxlerCharles A. MulhollandGeorge C. Bennett mi1:54.00$2,800
1905Hermis6Arthur RedfernAlexander ShieldsAlexander Shields mi1:52.00$2,525
1904Dainty4Gene HildebrandWalter B. JenningsWalter B. Jennings mi1:51.60$2,845
1903Golden Maxim3Harry CochranJames J. McLaughlinJ. P. Kramer mi1:53.20$2,445
1902Bonnibert4Jack MartinThomas WelshCharles Fleischman's Sons mi1:51.00$1,740
1901Blues3Willie ShawThomas WelshCharles Fleischman's Sons mi1:52.00$2,170
1900Ethelbert4Nash TurnerA. Jack JoynerPerry Belmont1 mi1:40.00$2,055
1899Imp5Peter ClayCharles E. BrossmanDaniel R. Harness1 mi1:40.60$1,815

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Condensed History of the Islip Handicap . Daily Racing Form . University of Kentucky Archives . 1910-07-17. 2020-11-02.
  2. News: Bonnibert, Islip Handicap, Made a Wonderful Performance . Richmond Times. 2 . 1902-07-31. 2020-11-09.
  3. News: Brighton to Try Turf Experiment; Purse Programmes Will Test Popularity of Racing Under New Conditions . . July 6, 1908 . 5 . 2010-01-16.
  4. News: Won't Sell Brighton Track; William Engeman Denies Reports that Negotiations Are Pending . . August 10, 1908 . 1 . 2010-01-16.
  5. News: Crowd at Harness Races; Brighton Trotting Meeting Opened with Fine Sport . . August 14, 1891 . 5 . 2010-01-16.