The Test 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 ...

first run on July 25, 1896 at Brighton Beach Race Course in

Brighton Beach Brighton Beach is a neighborhood in the southern portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, within the greater Coney Island area along the Atlantic Ocean coastline. Brighton Beach is bounded by Coney Island proper at Ocean Parkway to the ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

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

where it continued annually through 1909. A race for horses age three and older, it was run on dirt over a distance of one mile. On June 11, 1908, the Republican controlled

New York Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official te ...

under

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

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

passed the Hart–Agnew anti-wagering bill. The owners of Brighton Beach Race Course and other racing facilities in New York State struggled to stay in business without wagering revenue. Racetrack owners had no choice but to drastically reduce the purse money being paid out which saw important stakes worth as little as twenty-five percent of what they were just two years earlier. Although the Test Handicap had been scheduled for July 23, 1908, all stakes races were canceled at Brighton Beach Race Course and put on hiatus. There was no Test Handicap in 1908 and 1909 but the following year Empire City Race Track took over the race dates belonging to the Bright Beach Race Course and in 1910 hosted the Test Handicap. The race was won by Everett, a three-year-old colt owned by James Francis Johnson's Quincy Stable. However, further restrictive legislation was passed by the New York Legislature in 1910 which resulted in the deepening of the financial crisis for track operators and led to a complete shut down of racing across the state during 1911 and 1912. When a Court ruling saw racing return in 1913 it was too late for the Brighton Beach facility and it never reopened.

Records

Speed record: (at 1 mile) *1:38.00 –

Voter Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an Constituency, electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision making, decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election camp ...

(1900) (New World Record). *1:38.00 – Hermis (1904) Most wins by a jockey: * 2 – Danny Maher (1898, 1899) Most wins by a trainer: * 3 – Thomas Welsh (1897, 1901, 1903) Most wins by an owner: * 2 –

Julius Fleischmann Julius Augustus Fleischmann (June 8, 1871 – February 5, 1925) was an American businessman, the long-time president of Fleischmann's Yeast, and a former mayor of Cincinnati. A bon vivant, sailor, and sportsman, he was the son of yeast magnate ...

(1897, 1903) * 2 –

James R. Keene James Robert Keene (February 8, 1838 - January 3, 1913) was a Wall Street stockbroker and a major thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder. Biography He was born in London, England in 1838. He was fourteen years of age when his family imm ...

(1900, 1905)

Winners

References

{{reflist Recurring sporting events established in 1896 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1910 1896 establishments in New York City 1910 disestablishments in New York (state) Discontinued horse races in New York City Open mile category horse races Brighton Beach Race Course Yonkers Raceway