The Champlain 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 ...

for horses age three and older first run in 1901 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 actu ...

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 ...

. Placed on hiatus in 1945, it was revived in 1954 at

Jamaica Racetrack 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 feat ...

as a sprint race restricted to

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, t ...

and mares. The race was discontinued after the 1957 running.

Historic notes

The first running of the Champlain Handicap took place on August 27, 1901. On August 29, 1907

Dandelion ''Taraxacum'' () is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus is native to Eurasia and Nor ...

won the Champlain Handicap for the second straight year. He would be the only horse to ever win the race more than once. In winning the 1919 edition of the Champlain Handicap, Willis Sharpe Kilmer's top runner Sun Briar broke Saratoga's track record for the mile and one-eighth distance on dirt with a time of 1:50 flat. In so doing, he defeated his stablemate and future Hall of Fame inductee, Exterminator. The following year Exterminator returned to compete in the 1920 running of the Champlain only to finish second again, this time to Gnome. The 1938 Champlain Handicap was the fifth race on the card. It was preceded by the Rockton Handicap, a race named in honor of the 1901 inaugural winner of the Champlain. Due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, in May, 1942 the United States government's

Office of Price Administration The Office of Price Administration (OPA) was established within the Office for Emergency Management of the United States government by Executive Order 8875 on August 28, 1941. The functions of the OPA were originally to control money (price contr ...

implemented gasoline rationing on seventeen East Coast states which included New York. Saratoga Springs Race Course relied upon a good attendance rate from New York city racing fans willing to make the 360 mile return trip but rationing would impact that for users of motor vehicles as well as passenger trains. As a result, the important Saratoga stakes races would be shifted to Belmont Park on densely populated Long Island in 1943 and 1944 where it was run as an event for three-year-old horses. The Champlain Handicap would never return to Saratoga.

Records

Speed record: (Jamaica Racetrack) * 1:11.00 @ 6 furlongs: Oil Painting (1955) & Gandharva (1956) Speed record: (Saratoga Race Course) * 1:50.00 @ 1-1/8 miles: Sun Briar (1919) Most wins: * 2 -

(1906, 1907) Most wins by a jockey: * 2 -

George M. Odom George Martin Odom (July 8, 1882 – July 29, 1964) was an American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame jockey and trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing. He is only one of two people to ever have won the Belmont Stakes as both a jockey a ...

(1902, 1904) * 2 - Frank Keogh (1920, 1921) * 2 -

Laverne Fator Laverne Andrew Fator (October 21, 1899 – May 16, 1936) was an American Hall of Fame jockey. Born in Hailey, Idaho, Laverne Fator and his brothers Mark and Elmer all became jockeys. The most successful of the three, Laverne Fator's riding ...

(1928, 1932) * 2 - Don Meade (1933, 1934) Most wins by a trainer: * 3 - Henry E. McDaniel (1919, 1931, 1933) * 3 - Thomas J. Healey (1905, 1910, 1927) * 3 -

John E. Madden John Edward Madden (December 28, 1856 – November 3, 1929) was a prominent American Thoroughbred and Standardbred owner, breeder and trainer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He owned Hamburg Place Stud in Lexington, Kentucky ...

(1906, 1907, 1908) Most wins by an owner: * 4 - Harry P. Whitney (1914, 1923, 1924, 1928)

Winners

* † Blue Sparkler finished first but was disqualified for interferring with runner-up Gandharva.

References

{{reflist Flat horse races for three-year-olds Jamaica Race Course Belmont Park Saratoga Race Course Discontinued horse races in New York (state) Recurring sporting events established in 1901 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1958