The Bernard Baruch Handicap is a Grade III 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 ...

for three-years-old and older run over a distance of miles on the turf annually in early August at

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actua ...

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

. The event currently offers a purse of $200,000.

History

The event is named in honor of

Bernard Baruch Bernard Mannes Baruch (August 19, 1870 – June 20, 1965) was an American financier and statesman. After amassing a fortune on the New York Stock Exchange, he impressed President Woodrow Wilson by managing the nation's economic mobilization in ...

who was a

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

, an adviser to various

Presidents of the United States The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government and ...

, and a lover of

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

thoroughbred horse 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 t ...

, and the life of America's racetracks. The inaugural running of the event was on 12 August 1959 as the Bernard Baruch Stakes for three year old horses over a distance of miles on the dirt and was won by Middle Brother, ridden by

Bobby Ussery Robert Nelson "Bobby" Ussery (born September 3, 1935 in Vian, Oklahoma) is a retired American Thoroughbred horse racing hall of fame jockey. His first race as a professional jockey came at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans on November 22, ...

defeating

Howard B. Keck Howard Brighton Keck (September 20, 1913 – December 14, 1996) was an American businessman. He was also a Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse owner and breeder, and the owner of an auto racing team that twice won the Indianapolis 500. Early ...

's Bagdad by a neck in a time of 1:49 flat setting a new track record. The event was again held for three year old horses in 1960, but in 1961 the event was moved to the turf. During the early runnings, the event would have many more nominations than would allow to start in one race forcing Saratoga's administration to either disallow acceptance or splitting the event into two divisions. This happened seven times with the event split into divisions in 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1981 and 1983. The event was classified as Grade III in 1973 with it being upgraded to

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in 1983. For two runnings the event was Grade I, in 1988 and 1989 before returning to Grade II in 1990. In 1975, 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 place between Salt Marsh and War McAllister. In 1979, the race was switched to dirt due to weather conditions. In the 1960s the event attracted many high calibre horses. Of these who won the event were crowned US Champion Male Turf Horse. This includes the 1966 winner

Assagai Assagai was an Afro-rock band, active in the early 1970s in London, whose relatively short career produced two albums recorded in 1971. It has been described as "the second best-known African group of the late 60s/early 70s in Britain" after Osi ...

, 1967 Division 2 winner Fort Marcy and the

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

n bred champion

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

in 1969. The event even in today's

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

era continues to attract excellent horses who have run in this race. The 2005 winner

Artie Schiller Artie Schiller (foaled April 23, 2001 in Kentucky) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Haras du Mezeray of Ticheville, Orne in Lower Normandy, France, he was out of the mare Hidden Light, a daughter of multiple Grade I winner ...

went on to win the

Breeders' Cup Mile The Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's incept ...

later in the year, while the 2013 US Horse of the Year,

Wise Dan Wise Dan (foaled February 20, 2007) is a champion American Hall of Fame and Canadian Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. He is the first horse to win the same three Eclipse Awards in consecutive years, having been named American Horse of the ...

won the 2014 event by a nose as an odds-on favorite. In 2022 the event was downgraded by the

Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association {{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. ...

to Grade III status.

Records

Speed record: * miles: 1:38.29 – Ring Weekend (2016) * miles: 1:45.33 – Shakis (2007) Margins: * 5 lengths – Steinlen (GB) (1989) Most wins: * 2 – Red Reality (1971, 1973) * 2 – Win (1984, 1985) * 2 –

Fourstars Allstar Fourstars Allstar (April 5, 1988 – March 2005) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for his win in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. As a two-year-old in 1990 he showed promising form by winning the Pilgrim Stakes and the ...

(1992, 1995) * 2 – Hap (2000, 2001) * 2 – Shakis (2007, 2008) * 2 - Qurbaan (2018, 2019) Most wins by an owner: * 6 –

Cragwood Stables Charles W. Engelhard Jr. (February 15, 1917 – March 2, 1971) was an American businessman, a major owner in Thoroughbred horse racing, and a candidate in the 1955 New Jersey State Senate Elections. He controlled an international mining and meta ...

(1966, 1969 (2), 1971, 1973 (2)) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or 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 to describe the individual ...

: * 7 –

Jerry Bailey Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an Thoroughbred Racing on NBC, NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame jockey. Early years Bailey was born ...

(1983, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004) Most wins by a trainer: * 7 –

MacKenzie Miller MacKenzie "Mack" Todd Miller (October 16, 1921 – December 10, 2010) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and owner/breeder. During his forty-six-year career, he conditioned seventy-two stakes winners, including four Eclipse Award cha ...

(1966, 1969 (2), 1971, 1973 (2), 1990)

Winners

''Legend:''

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Open mile category horse races Horse races in New York (state) Turf races in the United States Saratoga Race Course Recurring sporting events established in 1959 1959 establishments in New York (state) Bernard Baruch

History

Records

Winners

See also

References