The Massachusetts Handicap, frequently referred to as the "MassCap", was a

flat Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), a ...

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 ...

for three-year-olds and up held annually at

Suffolk Downs Suffolk Downs is a former Thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The track opened in 1935 after being built by Joseph A. Tomasello for a cost of $2 million. It was sold in May 2017 to a developer who plans to crea ...

East Boston, Massachusetts East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts annexed by the city of Boston in 1637. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Revere, and Chelsea. It is separated from the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown and d ...

, United States. It was an ungraded stakes race run over a distance of 9

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 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use i ...

s on

dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Dust: a genera ...

. The race received Grade III status by the

American Graded Stakes Committee {{short description, Organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders. ...

for 2009, but the race was never held. The MassCap was stripped of its graded status in 2011 as a result of not being run for two consecutive years.

History

The Massachusetts Handicap was won by some of the biggest names in

Thoroughbred racing 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 ...

history including Hall of Fame inductees

Riva Ridge Riva Ridge (April 13, 1969 – April 21, 1985) was a Thoroughbred racehorse, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in 1972. Often remembered simply as a stablemate of Secretariat, Riva Ridge was a successful racehorse in his own ri ...

, Stymie,

Seabiscuit Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933 – May 17, 1947) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse in the United States who became the top money-winning racehorse up to the 1940s. He beat the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, by four lengths in a two-horse ...

Eight Thirty Eight Thirty (March 27, 1936 – April 7, 1965) was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. He was owned by George D. Widener, Jr. and bred by his Erdenheim Farm. Widener is one of only five people ever named an Exemplar of Racing. E ...

and

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * T ...

winner

Whirlaway Whirlaway (April 2, 1938 – April 6, 1953) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the fifth winner of the American Triple Crown. He also won the Travers Stakes after his Triple Crown sweep to become the first and only horse to w ...

who broke the track record in his 1942 win. The MassCap had been a

graded stakes race A graded stakes race is 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 the ...

from 1973 through 1989. Notables horses such as

Dixieland Band Dixieland Band (1980 – April 7, 2010) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background Dixieland Band was bred by Bayard Sharp, a prominent and highly respected Delaware horseman and president of The Blood-Horse Inc. Out of t ...

, and

Private Terms Private Terms (April 6, 1985 – January 22, 2010) was a millionaire American Thoroughbred racehorse and successful stallion. He was the son of Private Account, who in turn was the son of the great Damascus. Bred in Kentucky by Stuart Janney, Jr. ...

all won during this time frame. In 1987, Waquoit beat

Broad Brush Broad Brush (April 16, 1983 – May 15, 2009) was an American thoroughbred racehorse foaled in Maryland. He was by the Hall of Fame stallion Ack Ack out of the Hoist The Flag mare Hay Patcher. Bred and owned by Robert E. Meyerhoff and trai ...

in a thrilling race. In the 1955 Massachusetts Handicap, jockey

Sam Boulmetis, Sr. Samuel Anthony Boulmetis Sr. (February 17, 1927 - May 30, 2021) was an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey who was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1973. The Hall's induction biography says that "His peers des ...

rode Helioscope to a track record time of 2:01 for 1¼ miles. The Suffolk Downs track continued to fight for its economic life since closing for a three-year period beginning in 1989. The MassCap was a frequent casualty of those circumstances. On August 7, 1937, the great

won his seventh consecutive stakes race in track record time for the $70,000 purse of the 1937 MassCap. Later, in an attempt to bring the MassCap back to its former glory, new ownership offered a purse of $500,000 in 1995 and quickly drew the likes of Cigar and

Skip Away Skip Away (April 4, 1993 – May 14, 2010), was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1998 Horse of the Year, 1996 Champion Three-Year-Old, and 1997 and 1998 Champion Handicap Horse. He won 10 Grade One races for $9,616,360 i ...

to the track. By 1997, the race was, once again, a graded race. Suffolk Downs also provided a bonus of $200,000 if the winner won multiple Grade I or Group 1 stakes races at a mile or longer. An additional $100,000 was to be awarded if the winner had won one Grade I or Group 1 race and at least one other graded stakes race at a mile or longer in 2007. Part of the

Breeders' Cup Challenge The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of Thoroughbred horse races in which the winner earns an automatic spot in a specified Breeders' Cup race. The challenge races change somewhat each year. The Challenge series began in 2007 with 24 "Win and Yo ...

series, the winner of the 2008 Massachusetts Handicap automatically qualified for the

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age 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 s ...

.2008 Breeders' Cup Challenge series
/ref>

Records

Time record: * 1⅛ miles: 1:47.27 –

(1998) (new track record) Largest margin of victory: * 14 lengths – Commentator (2008) Most wins: * 2 – First Fiddle (1944, 1945), Air Pilot (1959, 1962),

Smart Smart or SMART may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Smart'' (Hey! Say! JUMP album), 2014 * Smart (Hotels.com), former mascot of Hotels.com * ''Smart'' (Sleeper album), 1995 debut album by Sleeper * '' SMart'', a children's television se ...

(1964, 1965), Cigar (1995, 1996),

(1997, 1998) Most wins by a jockey: * 4 –

Jerry D. Bailey Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American Hall of Fame jockey. Early years Bailey was born in Dallas but raised in El Paso. He had a pony as a child and became in ...

(1995, 1996, 1998, 2001) Most wins by a trainer: * 3 –

Sonny Hine Hubert "Sonny" Hine (January 9, 1931 – March 17, 2000) was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer best known as the trainer of 1998 U.S. Horse of the Year, Skip Away. Early life Hine was born in The Bronx, New York, the son of cl ...

(1986, 1997, 1998) and

Clyde Troutt Clyde Troutt (August 23, 1901 - October, 1979) was an American trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses. From Benton, Illinois, on March 15, 1938 Troutt replaced Frank Hackett as one of the trainers of the prominent John and Fannie Hertz stable. For h ...

(1959, 1960, 1962)

Winners

* Day Court finished first in 1959 but was disqualified and placed second.
* Raced in two divisions in 1977.

References

{{reflist

External links

History
at MassCap.com 1935 establishments in Massachusetts 2008 disestablishments in Massachusetts Open mile category horse races Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2008 Recurring sporting events established in 1935 Suffolk Downs Sports competitions in Boston Ungraded stakes races in the United States