The Questionnaire 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 ...

named in honor of the horse

Questionnaire A questionnaire is a research instrument that consists of a set of questions (or other types of prompts) for the purpose of gathering information from respondents through survey or statistical study. A research questionnaire is typically a mix of ...

who was bred and raced by James Butler, the late president and owner of

Empire City Race Track Yonkers Raceway & Empire City Casino, founded in 1899 as the Empire City Race Track, is a one-half-mile standardbred harness racing dirt track and slots racino located at the intersection of Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, New ...

. The race was held from its inception in 1938 through 1942 at the Empire City RaceTrack in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

but with the United States becoming involved in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, in 1943

rationing Rationing is the controlled distribution (marketing), distribution of scarcity, scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resourc ...

and other wartime limitations resulted in the Empire City Association's decision to go back to hosting only

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...

. The Questionnaire Handicap was then moved to the

Jamaica Race Course Jamaica Race Course, also called the Jamaica Racetrack, was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. History The track opened on April 27, 1903, a day which featu ...

where it would run under the sponsorship of the Empire City Association through 1953 when it had its final running. While never a major race, the Questionnaire Handicap drew some of the best horses of the day and from the top racing stables. Race distances: *1938-1943, 1947-1952 : 1 miles on dirt *1944-1946, 1953 : 1 miles on dirt

Notable events

In 1950, One Hitter set a new Jamaica track record of 1:42 2/5 for a mile and a sixteenth on dirt. In 1951 there was a

dead heat A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a tie and the competitors are awarded a joint ra ...

for first between Arise and Bryan G. The 1953 race was won by 1951

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

winner Count Turf owned by New York City restaurateur Jack Amiel.''New York Times'' July 19, 1953 article titled "Count Turf Breaks Down After 15-1 Jamaica Score"
Retrieved August 1, 2018

Records

Speed record: * At 1 miles : One Hitter (1950), 1:42 2/5 * At 1 miles :

Princequillo Princequillo (1940–1964) was a Thoroughbred Thoroughbred horse race, racehorse conceived in France and born in Ireland. He is known for his performances in long-distance races and his successes as a Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. Backgroun ...

(1944), 2:43 flat 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 - Sam Renick (1938, 1939) * 2 - Don Meade (1940, 1942) * 2 -

Eric Guerin Oliver Eric Guerin (October 23, 1924 – March 21, 1993) was an American Hall of Fame jockey. Eric Guerin was born in Maringouin, Louisiana, in Cajun backwater country, twenty-four miles west of Baton Rouge. He was the son of an impoverished Ca ...

(1949, 1951) * 2 - Conn McCreary (1952, 1953) Most wins by a trainer: * 2 -

Max Hirsch Maximilian Justice "Max" Hirsch (July 12, 1880 - April 3, 1969) was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Born in Fredericksburg, Texas, and raised Roman Catholic, Hirsch became one of the most successful trainers in Thorough ...

(1938, 1940)

Winners

* † In 1951 there was a dead heat for first.

References

{{reflist Empire City Race Track Jamaica Race Course Graded stakes races in the United States Discontinued horse races in the United States Horse races in New York (state) Recurring sporting events established in 1938 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1953