Saratoga Cup
Discontinued stakes race
LocationSaratoga Race Course
Saratoga Springs, New York, United States
Inaugurated1865
Race typeThoroughbredFlat racing
Race information
Distance1+34 miles
SurfaceDirt
Trackleft-handed
QualificationThree years and older

The Saratoga Cup was an American Thoroughbred horse race open to horses of either sex age three and older although geldings were not eligible from 1865 through 1918. Between 1865 and 1955 it was hosted by Saratoga Race Course, in Saratoga Springs, New York with the exception of 1943 through 1945 when wartime restrictions were in place and the race was held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.[1][2]

The race was not run from 1887 to 1890, from 1892 to 1900, in 1908, 1911, 1912, from 1956 to 1962, and from 1964 to 1993. The 75 editions of the race were contested at four different distances:

  • 1865–1886 : 2+14 miles
  • 1891 : 2 miles
  • 1901: 158 miles
  • 1902–1955 : 1+34 miles

"The seventy-sixth running Saratoga Cup"

In 1963, track owner/operator New York Racing Association held a one-time only commemorative event they called "The seventy-sixth running Saratoga Cup 'The Centennial Season Running.'" It was run at a distance of 1 5/8 miles and was won by Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr.'s three-year-old gelding, Will I Rule.[3]

Historical notes

During his Hall of Fame career James E. "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons won numerous top races more than five times each including the Belmont Stakes. With ten wins, the Saratoga Cup was most and the race was also among his most memorable as the 1914 edition marked his first important major race win as a trainer.[4]

Exterminator, the 1918 Kentucky Derby winner and a U. S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, won this race four years in row from 1919 to 1922. In his 1920 win, Exterminator set a world record of 2:56 4/5 for 1+34 miles on dirt.[5] Exterminator's owner Willis Sharpe Kilmer was a notoriously difficult employer and for each of the four wins, Exterminator had a different jockey and a different trainer.

In 1875 a very rare event in horse racing occurred when Preakness and Springbok together set a new American record for the 2 1/4 mile distance in winning the Saratoga Cup in a dead heat.[6]

There were three walkovers in the 75-year history of the Saratoga Cup. Long-distance races were declining in popularity and by the 1920s the number of entrants was regularly only four or five horses. As such, the first walkover came in 1921 when Exterminator's dominance in racing scared away the competition.[7] The second occurred in 1940 and was unique in that it involved two horses, Isolater and Fenelon. Both horses were owned by the powerful Belair Sud Stable who declared Isolater to win.[8] The third time there was a walkover happened in 1946 with Ethel Jacob's Stymie. The future U. S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee had won the 1945 edition of the Saratoga Cup with ease in a year when it was held at Belmont Park.[9] Stymie's continued dominance in racing saw his competition avoiding him in the race's return to Saratoga in 1946.[10]

The 1911–1912 statewide shutdown of horse racing

On June 11, 1908, the Republican controlled New York Legislature under Governor Charles Evans Hughes passed the Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation.[11] The owners of Saratoga Race Course, and other racing facilities in New York State, struggled to stay in business without income from betting.[12] In spite of strong opposition by prominent owners such as August Belmont Jr. and Harry Payne Whitney, reform legislators were not happy when they learned that betting was still going on at racetracks between individuals and they had further restrictive legislation passed by the New York Legislature in 1910.[13] The Agnew–Perkins Law, a series of four bills and recorded as the Executive Liability Act, made it possible for racetrack owners and members of its board of directors to be fined and imprisoned if anyone was found betting, even privately, anywhere on their premises.[14] After a 1911 amendment to the law that would limit the liability of owners and directors was defeated in the Legislature, every racetrack in New York State shut down.[15] As a result, the Saratoga Cup was not run in 1911 and 1912.

A February 21, 1913 ruling by the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division saw horse racing return in 1913.[16] However, it was too late for some racing facilities and financial difficulties meant that Brighton Beach Race Course, Gravesend Race Track and Sheepshead Bay Race Track never reopened.[17]

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$
1955 Chevation 4 Eric Guerin Richard E. Handlen Foxcatcher Farm 134 3:02.60 $10,525
1954 Great Captain 5 Eddie Arcaro James E. Fitzsimmons Ogden Phipps 134 3:02.60 $11,075
1953 Alerted 5 Conn McCreary Ray De Stefano Hampton Stable (Frank Stout) 134 3:01.40 $10,875
1952 Busanda 5 Ted Atkinson James E. Fitzsimmons Ogden Phipps 134 2:59.80 $11,325
1951 Busanda 4 Eric Guerin James E. Fitzsimmons Ogden Phipps 134 2:59.00 $10,950
1950 Cochise 4 Eddie Arcaro Virgil W. Raines Brandywine Stable (Donald P. Ross 134 2:57.60 $11,900
1949 Doubtless 5 Ted Atkinson John M. Gaver Sr. Greentree Stable 134 2:57.40 $11,650
1948 Snow Goose 4 Job Dean Jessop Oscar White Walter M. Jeffords Sr. 134 2:57.80 $11,000
1947 Talon 5 John Adams Horatio Luro Richard N. Ryan 134 2:58.40 $12,300
1946 Stymie 5 Basil James Hirsch Jacobs Ethel D. Jacobs 134 3:07.40 $5,975
1945 Stymie 4 Johnny Longden Hirsch Jacobs Ethel D. Jacobs 134 2:58.00 $18,700
1944 Bolingbroke 7 Robert Permane Walter Burrows Townsend B. Martin 134 2:57.60 $18,000
1943 Princequillo 3 Steve Brooks Horatio Luro Boone Hall Stable 134 2:56.60 $18,200
1942 Bolingbroke 5 Herb Lindberg Walter Burrows Townsend B. Martin 134 2:58.20 $9,550
1941 Dorimar 4 Conn McCreary James W. Healy Woodvale Farm (Royce G. Martin) 134 2:58.40 $9,850
1940 Isolater 7 James Stout James E. Fitzsimmons Belair Stud Stable 134 3:02.00 $4,825
1939 Isolater 6 James Stout James E. Fitzsimmons Belair Stud Stable 134 2:56.20 $6,400
1938 War Admiral 4 Maurice Peters George H. Conway Glen Riddle Farm 134 2:55.80 $6,600
1937 Count Arthur 5 Lester Balaski Lon Johnson Fannie Hertz 134 3:02.20 $6,425
1936 Granville 3 James Stout James E. Fitzsimmons William Woodward Sr. 134 3:00.80 $6,520
1935 Count Arthur 3 Wayne Wright Frank S. Hackett Fannie Hertz 134 2:58.40 $7,145
1934 Dark Secret 5 Charles Kurtsinger James E. Fitzsimmons Wheatley Stable 134 2:59.20 $5,525
1933 Equipoise 5 Raymond Workman T. J. Healey Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney 134 3:00.00 $6,050
1932 War Hero 3 John Gilbert George H. Conway Glen Riddle Farm 134 2:59.20 $7,825
1931 Twenty Grand 3 Linus McAtee James G. Rowe Jr. Greentree Stable 134 3:01.20 $8,250
1930 Gallant Fox 3 Earl Sande James E. Fitzsimmons Belair Stud Stable 134 2:56.00 $9,275
1929 Diavolo 4 John Maiben James E. Fitzsimmons Wheatley Stable 134 2:58.00 $7,350
1928 Reigh Count 3 Chick Lang Bert S. Michell Fannie Hertz 134 2:55.00 $6,500
1927 Chance Play 4 John Maiben John I. Smith Log Cabin Stable 134 3:03.60 $6,850
1926 Espino 3 Laverne Fator William J. Speirs William Ziegler Jr. 134 3:00.40 $7,650
1925 Mad Play 4 Laverne Fator Sam Hildreth Rancocas Stable 134 2:59.40 $7,150
1924 Mr. Mutt 3 Harold Thurber Alex Gordon Bud Fisher 134 3:00.80 $8,300
1923 My Own 3 Earl Sande William H. Brooks Salubria Stable (Cary T. Grayson) 134 2:57.20 $6,850
1922 Exterminator 7 Albert Johnson Eugene Wayland Willis Sharpe Kilmer 134 3:00.40 $6,550
1921 Exterminator 6 Willie Kelsay Willie Knapp Willis Sharpe Kilmer 134 3:04.60 $4,500
1920 Exterminator 5 Charles Fairbrother J. Simon Healy Willis Sharpe Kilmer 134 2:56.80 $4,950
1919 Exterminator 4 Andy Schuttinger Henry McDaniel Willis Sharpe Kilmer 134 2:58.00 $5,350
1918 Johren 3 Frank Robinson Albert Simons Harry Payne Whitney 134 3:02.20 $5,250
1917 Omar Khayyam 3 James Butwell Richard F. Carman Sr. Wilfrid Viau 134 3:07.60 $5,050
1916 Friar Rock 3 John McTaggart Sam Hildreth August Belmont Jr. 134 3:03.00 $3,375
1915 Roamer 4 James Butwell A. J. Goldsborough Andrew Miller 134 3:01.80 $2,225
1914 Star Gaze 4 Joe McCahey James E. Fitzsimmons Herbert L. Pratt 134 3:10.00 $1,925
1913 Sam Jackson 5 Johnny Loftus Jack L. McGinnis V. M. McGinnis 134 3:08.40 $1,650
1912 No races held due to the Hart–Agnew Law.
1911
1910 Countless 3 Vincent Powers John W. May John G. Greener 134 2:58.60 $3,850
1909 Olambala 3 James Butwell T. J. Healey Montpelier Stable 134 2:58.00 $2,175
1908 Race not held
1907 Running Water 4 Walter Miller Thomas Welsh Newcastle Stable 134 3:06.20 $6,050
1906 Go Between 5 Willie Shaw William Shields Edward R. Thomas 134 3:05.40 $6,050
1905 Caughnawaga 6 Arthur Redfern Hubert H. Hyner John Sanford 134 3:00.80 $5,800
1904 Beldame 3 Frank O'Neill Fred Burlew Newton Bennington (Lessee) 134 3:03.80 $8,100
1903 Africander 3 Grover Fuller Richard O. Miller Hampton Stable (Simon Deimel & Charles F. Dwyer) 134 2:58.00 $3,350
1902 Advance Guard 5 Patrick A. McCue Alexander Shields James Carruthers & Alexander Shields 134 3:01.80 $3,350
1901 Blues 3 Willie Shaw Thomas Welsh Frank J. Farrell 158 2:52.40 $3,350
1892 - 1900 Race not held
1891 Los Angeles 6 Isaac E. Lewis Albert Cooper Santa Anita Stable 200 3:43.50 $2,900
1887 - 1990 Race not held
1886 Volante 4 Isaac Burns Murphy Albert Cooper Santa Anita Stable 214 4:25.00 $1,700
1885 Bob Miles 4 William J. Fitzpatrick Abraham Perry James T. Williams 214 4:02.00 $2,150
1884 General Monroe 6 Harry Blaylock Walter C. Rollins Edward J. McElmeel 214 4:05.00 $1,650
1883 General Monroe 5 William J. Fitzpatrick Walter C. Rollins Edward J. McElmeel 214 4:21.50 $1,950
1882 Thora 4 Brophy Charles Reed 214 4:05.50 $1,850
1881 Checkmate 6 Isaac Burns Murphy James T. Williams 214 4:09.75 $1,800
1880 Long Taw 5 G. Wolfe Green B. Morris Green B. Morris 214 4:08.00 $1,300
1879 Bramble 4 Jim McLaughlin James G. Rowe Sr. Dwyer Brothers Stable 214 4:11.75 $1,500
1878 Parole 5 William Barrett William Brown Pierre Lorillard 214 4:08.50 $1,700
1877 Parole 4 William Barrett William Brown Pierre Lorillard 214 4:04.50 $2,150
1876 Tom Ochiltree 4 George Barbee R. Wyndham Walden George L. Lorillard 214 4:06.50 $1,850
1875 (DH) Preakness
Springbok
6
5
William Hayward Sr.
W. Clark
Charles Littlefield Sr.
David McDaniel
Milton H. Sanford
David McDaniel
214
214
3:56.25
3:56.25
$1,125
$1,125
1874 Springbok 4 George Barbee David McDaniel David McDaniel 214 4:11.75 $2,450
1873 Joe Daniels 4 Frank McCabe David McDaniel David McDaniel 214 4:10.75 $1,700
1872 Harry Bassett 4 James G. Rowe Sr. David McDaniel David McDaniel 214 3:59.00 $1,550
1871 Longfellow 4 Robert Swim John Harper John Harper 214 4:02.75 $1,550
1870 Helmbold 4 Robinson W. R. Babcock 214 4:03.75 $1,850
1869 Bayonet 4 Miller T. G. Moore 214 4:10.00 $2,250
1868 Lancaster 5 William Hayward Sr. Milton H. Sanford 214 4:14.00 $1,950
1867 Muggins 4 Clark Douglas & Co. 214 4:03.00 $1,850
1866 Kentucky 5 Charles Littlefield Sr. A. Jackson Minor Annieswood Stable (Belmont/Hunter/Jerome/Cameron/Travers) 214 4:04.00 $2,250
1865 Kentucky 4 Gilbert W. Patrick A. Jackson Minor John Hunter, William R. Travers, George Osgood 214 4:01.50 $1,850

References

  1. "Saratoga Cup a Famous Old Race". Daily Racing Form. 1919-07-16. Retrieved 2019-10-25 via University of Kentucky Archives.
  2. "Geldings Eligible to Saratoga Cup". Daily Racing Form. 1919-02-22. Retrieved 2019-10-24 via University of Kentucky Archives.
  3. Carter & Kane, Allan & Mike (2013-06-14). 150 Years of Racing in Saratoga. The History Press. p. 114. ISBN 9781625845559.
  4. "James E. Fitzsimmons". Racingmuseum.org. 2019-10-22. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  5. "Exterminator". Racingmuseum.org. 1942-06-27. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  6. Robertson, William H. P. (1964-01-01). The History of Thoroughbred Racing In America. Prentice Hall. p. 228.
  7. "Saratoga Cup A Walkover". Daily Racing Form. 1921-09-01. Retrieved 2019-10-27 via University of Kentucky Archives.
  8. "Belair Pair In Walkover". New York Times. 1940-09-01. Section 5 Sports, page 1. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  9. "Stymie, 3-4, Takes 65th Saratoga Cup Easily at Belmont". New York Times. 1945-08-26. Sports Section 5, page 9. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  10. "Blue Border Ties Track Mark to Win Hopeful By A Nose". New York Times. 1946-09-01. Section Sports, page 70. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  11. "Penalties in the New York Bills". Daily Racing Form. 1908-01-18. Retrieved 2018-10-26 via University of Kentucky Archives.
  12. "Keep Up Betting Ban". New York Times. 1908-09-01. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  13. Liebman, Bennett (May 24, 2009). "The First American Triple Crown Series". The Rail. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  14. "Racing Men Attack Anti-Betting Bills – Place Every Man Who Makes Private Wager in Jeopardy". New York Times. 1910-04-07. Retrieved 2019-06-29.
  15. "Race Track Bill Defeated In Senate; Measure Modifying Directors' Liability for Gambling Fails of Passage". The New York Times. July 14, 1911. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  16. "Oral Betting Held Legal: Appellate Division of New York Supreme Court Renders Important Decision". Daily Racing Form. 1913-02-22. Retrieved 2019-06-29 via University of Kentucky Archives.
  17. "Destruction Wrought by Hughes". Daily Racing Form. 1908-12-15. Retrieved 2018-11-30 via University of Kentucky Archives.
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