The Freehold Stakes was an American

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

run annually in early August at the Monmouth Park Association's racetrack in

Long Branch, New Jersey Long Branch is a beachside city in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 31,667, an increase of 948 (+3.1%) from the 2010 census count of 30,719, which in turn reflect ...

. Inaugurated in 1879, the Champion Stakes was open to horses of any age and was raced on dirt over a distance of one and one half miles (12

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...

s). In 1891, the races at Long Branch had to be shifted to racetracks in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

when government legislation attempted to inhibit parimutuel wagering. The races were split between the

Jerome Park Racetrack Jerome Park Racetrack was an American Thoroughbred horse race, thoroughbred horse racing facility from 1866 until 1894. It was located in a part of Westchester County, New York that was annexed into New_York_City, the city of New York in 1874. Je ...

Fordham, Bronx Fordham Manor is a neighborhood located in the western Bronx, New York City. Fordham is roughly bordered by East 196th Street to the north, the Harlem River to the west, Fordham Road to the south, and Southern Boulevard to the east. The neighbor ...

and at the nearby Morris Park Racecourse at Westchester Village. The Monmouth Park Racing Association closed and the land sold after its operating license was revoked in 1893 and government legislation was enacted that banned parimutuel wagering.

Records

Speed record: * 2:33.25 -

Firenze Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

(1890) Most wins: * 3 -

(1888, 1889, 1890) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

: * 3 - William Donohue (1882, 1883, 1884) Most wins by a trainer: * 3 - Evert V. Snedecker (1882, 1883, 1884) * 3 - Matthew Byrnes (1888, 1889, 1890) * 3 -

John Huggins John Jerome Huggins Jr. (February 11, 1945 – January 17, 1969) was an American activist. He was the leader in the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panther Party who was killed by black nationalist US Organization members at the University ...

(1886, 1887, 1892) Most wins by an owner: * 3 - James Ben Ali Haggin (1888, 1889, 1890)

Winners

* † In 1892,

Banquet A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes inc ...

won but was disqualified for interference and set back to last.https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1892/08/07/108215019.pdf

Notes

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References

August 4, 1882 ''New York Times'' article on the Freehold Stakes

* ttps://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A04E6D8143AE533A25755C0A96E9C94609ED7CF August 6, 1891 ''New York Times'' article on Firenze's three straight wins in the Freehold Stakes Horse races in the United States Open middle distance horse races Discontinued horse races in the United States Monmouth Park Racetrack Horse races established in 1882 1882 establishments in New Jersey