The Occidental Handicap 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 ...

held annually from 1899 through 1909 at

Gravesend Race Track Gravesend Race Track was a Thoroughbred horse race, Thoroughbred horse racing facility in the Gravesend, Brooklyn, Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, that opened in 1886 and closed in 1910. The track was built by the Brooklyn Jockey C ...

Gravesend, Brooklyn Gravesend is a neighborhood in the south-central section of the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Brooklyn, on the southwestern edge of Long Island in the United States, U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is bounded ...

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 * ...

. A race for horses of either sex age three and older, it was contested on dirt over a distance of a mile and one-eighth until its final running when it became a mile and one-quarter selling race.

Historical notes

First run on September 16, 1899, the Occidental Handicap would come to be regarded as an important stakes race on the New York fall schedule. Among the winners was the famous " mudder"

Herbert Herbert may refer to: People * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert, Northern Territor ...

who won back-to-back editions in 1901 and 1902. The race's only two-time winner, Herbert would duplicate that feat with wins in the

Merchants and Citizens Handicap The Merchants and Citizens Handicap is a discontinued American Thoroughbred horse race which was first run in 1900 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to horses aged three and older, it was contested on dirt. The inaugural ...

in 1901 and 1902. In her September 26, 1907 win, the three-year-old filly Gold Lady set a new track record for a mile and one-eighth with a time of 1:51 3/5.

Demise of the Occidental Handicap

The status of the race as being important to the Gravesend track's fall racing schedule would change on June 11, 1908, when the Republican controlled

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under

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Charles Evans Hughes Charles Evans Hughes (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American politician, academic, and jurist who served as the 11th chief justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

passed the Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation. The owners of Gravesend Race Track, and other racing facilities in New York State, struggled to stay in business without income from betting. Racetrack operators had no choice but to drastically reduce the

purse money Prize money refers in particular to naval prize money, usually arising in naval warfare, but also in other circumstances. It was a monetary reward paid in accordance with the prize law of a belligerent state to the crew of a ship belonging to t ...

being paid out which resulted in the Occidental Handicap offering a purse in 1909 that was less than one-third of what it had been in earlier years. These small purses made horse racing unprofitable and impossible for even the most successful horse owners to continue in business. As such, for the 1910 racing season management of the Gravesend facility dropped some of its stakes races and used the purse money to bolster its most important events. Although a February 21, 1913 ruling by the

New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York is the intermediate appellate court in New York State. The state is geographically divided into four judicial departments of the Appellate Division. The full title of each is, u ...

saw horse racing return in 1913, it was too late for the Occidental Handicap.

Records

Speed record: * 1:41.60 @ 1 1-8 miles: Gold Lady (1907) Most wins: * 2 -

(1901, 1902) 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 ...

: * 2 - Lewis Smith (1901, 1902) * 2 - Eddie Dugan (1908, 1909) Most wins by a trainer: * 2 - Julius J. Bauer (1899, 1908) * 2 - Walter C. Rollins (1901, 1902) * 2 - Walter B. Jennings (1904, 1905) Most wins by an owner: * 2 - Bromley & Co. (1899, 1908) * 2 - Walter C. Rollins (1901, 1902) * 2 - Walter B. Jennings (1904, 1905)

Winners

References

{{reflist Discontinued horse races in New York City Open mile category horse races Horse races established in 1899 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1909 Gravesend Race Track