| Class: | Discontinued stakes |
| Horse Race: | New England Oaks |
| Location: | Narragansett Park, Pawtucket, Rhode Island United States |
| Inaugurated: | 1936 |
| Race Type: | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Distance: | 1 1/16 miles (8.5 furlongs) |
| Surface: | Dirt |
| Track: | left-handed |
| Qualification: | Three-year-old fillies |
The New England Oaks was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually from 1936 thru 1944 at Narragansett Park in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Run on dirt over a distance of a mile and one-sixteenth, like all "Oaks" races for Thoroughbreds, it was open to three-year-old fillies only.
Fully one-third of all winners of the New England Oaks would finish the year as the American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly.[1]
In 1945 there was no running of the New England Oaks. With wartime gasoline rationing in place nationwide, travel to the racetrack was basically limited to Pawtucket residents. The other side of the coin was that locals could not go away for summer vacation or visits and local entertainment venues benefited from increased attendance. In some instances the wartime restrictions led to facilities shutting down such as Delaware Park did for all of 1944.[5] Attracting owners and trainers from around the country to send their horses to compete in feature events became difficult for the smaller out-of-the-way tracks. Such was the case when Narragansett Park had to drop the New England Futurity after its 1940 running.[6]
Speed record:
Most wins by a jockey:
Most wins by a trainer:
Most wins by an owner:
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Dist. (Miles) | Time | Win$ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Whirlabout | 3 | Herb Lindberg | George M. Odom | Louis B. Mayer | 1-1/16 m | 1:46.00 | $7,120 |
| 1943 | Stefanita | 3 | Conn McCreary | Bert Mulholland | George D. Widener Jr. | 1-1/16 m | 1:46.00 | $7,980 |
| 1942 | Spiral Pass | 3 | Warren E. Snyder | Johnny McDowell | Mt. Desert Stable (W. E. Parker) | 1-1/16 m | 1:44.60 | $8,900 |
| 1941 | Imperatrice | 3 | Thomas May | George M. Odom | William H. LaBoyteaux | 1-1/16 m | 1:45.60 | $9,660 |
| 1940 | Shine O'Night | 3 | Ray Adair | William F. Tucker | W. Campbell Hobson | 1-1/16 m | 1:47.20 | $5,010 |
| 1939 | Bala Ormont | 3 | Carroll Bierman | John Hanover | Harry Friedberg & E. D. Axton | 1-1/16 m | 1:45.40 | $7,215 |
| 1938 | Handcuff | 3 | Jack Westrope | Hugh L. Fontaine | Brookmeade Stable | 1-1/16 m | 1:43.60 | $4,940 |
| 1937 | Savage Beauty | 3 | Joe Wagner | Louis J. Schaefer | William L. Brann | 1-1/16 m | 1:45.20 | $4,050 |
| 1936 | High Fleet | 3 | Irving Anderson | Bert Mulholland | George D. Widener Jr. | 1-1/16 m | 1:44.00 | $4,830 |