The Winged Foot 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 ...

open to two-year-olds of either sex. A race on dirt, it was run annually at

Brighton Beach Race Course The Brighton Beach Race Course was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, opened on June 28, 1879 by the Brighton Beach Racing Association. Headed by real estate developer William A. ...

in Brighton Beach, New York from inception in 1896 through 1908 before being canceled for the next two years as a result of New York state's

Hart–Agnew Law The Hart–Agnew Law was an anti-gambling bill passed into law by the Legislature of the State of New York on June 11, 1908. It was an amalgam of bills enacted as Chapter 506 and 507 which were sponsored by conservative Assemblyman Merwin K. Har ...

anti-betting legislation. The ensuing financial losses meant that the Brighton Beach Race Course was never able to reopen and in 1910 the race was revived at the

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 ...

for what would turn out to be its final running.

Historical notes

The August 1, 1896 inaugural running of the Winged Foot Handicap was won by

Voter Voting is the process of choosing officials or policies by casting a ballot, a document used by people to formally express their preferences. Republics and representative democracies are governments where the population chooses representatives ...

, the second choice of the betting public. Ridden by

Alonzo Clayton Alonzo Clayton (January 4, 1876 – March 17, 1917) was an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing described by author Edward Hotaling, as "one of the great riders of the New York circuit all through the 1890s" and who holds the record as the ...

for the very prominent owner James R. Keene, Voter would go on to a successful career that would see him recognized as the

American Champion Older Male Horse The title of American Champion Older Dirt Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a stallion or gelding, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of ...

of 1899. ''The Bloodhorse.com'' Champion's history charts
In 1899, Killashandra became the first of three

fillies A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, th ...

to win the Winged Foot Handicap. She continued to race successfully and in her three-year-old season was the dominant filly in her age group and would be recognized as the 1900

American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ...

. Africander's winning time in 1902 of 1:06 3/5 for the six-furlong distance was not only the fastest time for the Winged Foot Handicap but equaled the track record. The following year, Africander would earn

American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse The American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when ''Turf & Sports Di ...

honors. Jockey LaVerne Sewell won the 1906 edition aboard Salvidere. The colt would earn recognition as that year's

American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when the ''Daily Racing Fo ...

. Tragically, Salvidere's eighteen-year-old jockey Sewell would be killed on November 9 as a result of a racing accident at

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack within ...

. In their story on the accident, ''

The Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'', formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'', was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for over a century, from 1884 to 1992. At the height of its popul ...

'' called Sewell one of the most promising riders in the

East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

. The July 12, 1910 final running of the Winged Foot Handicap was the feature race of the day at Empire City Race Track.

Newcastle Stable The Newcastle Stable was a Thoroughbred racing partnership formed in 1903 by Life magazine publisher Andrew Miller, Blair Painter, Francis Cunningham Bishop, and trainer Thomas Welsh. Based in New York City, in January 1907 the partners leased th ...

horses Danger Mark and Royal Meteor finished one-two in the field of five runners.

Records

Speed record: * 1:12 3/5 @ 6 furlongs: Master Robert (1907) 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 -

Joe Notter Joseph A. Notter (June 21, 1890 - April 10, 1973) was an American Hall of Fame Champion jockey and winner of two of the American Classic Races. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Joe Notter rode prominently in the first decades of the 20th century. ...

(1907, 1910) Most wins by a trainer: * 2 - A. Jack Joyner (1898, 1904) * 2 - Thomas Welsh (1901, 1910) Most wins by an owner: * No owner won this race more than once.

Winners

References

{{reflist Brighton Beach Race Course Discontinued horse races in New York City Open sprint category horse races Horse races established in 1896 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1911