The Carter Handicap is a

Grade I 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 ...

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 seven

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s run annually in early April 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 locate ...

Race history

First run in 1895, the race was named for

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

contractor and

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

captain, William Carter, who put up most of the purse money and provided the trophy. The race was hosted by the old Aqueduct race track from 1895 to 1955, except for 1946 when it was held at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

. It returned to Belmont Park from 1956 to 1959, 1968 to 1974, and again in 1994. In 2020 the event was moved to Belmont Park and held in early June. There was no race held in 1909, 1911–1913, and 1933–1934. It was run in two divisions in 1977 and 1978.

Race distance

*1895 – miles *1896 – miles *1897 – miles *1898 – about 7 furlongs *1899–1902 furlongs *1903 onwards – 7 furlongs

Historic notes

The Carter Handicap is the only American Thoroughbred stakes race in which a triple dead heat for a win occurred when Brownie, Bossuet and Wait A Bit crossed the finish line at the same time in 1944. There was another dead heat between two horses in 1977, a year when the number of entrants resulted in the race being split into two divisions. On June 13, 1942, Lillian Christopher's trainee Doublrab defeated the 1941 U.S. Triple Crown winner

Whirlaway Whirlaway (April 2, 1938 – April 6, 1953) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the fifth winner of the American Triple Crown. He also won the Travers Stakes after his Triple Crown sweep to become the first and only horse to ...

while equaling the Aqueduct track record of 1:23 flat in winning the seven furlong Carter Handicap.

Records

Time record: (at current 7 furlongs distance) * 1:20.04 – Artax (1999) (new race and track record) Most wins: * 2 –

Audacious Audacious may refer to: * ''Audacious'' (album), a 2016 album by Cupcakke * Audacious (software), an open-source media player Ships * List of ships named ''Audacious'' * HMS ''Audacious'', various ships of the British Royal Navy * ''Audaci ...

(1920, 1921) * 2 – Osmand (1928, 1929) * 2 –

Flying Heels Flying Heels (1927–1940) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won stakes races at age two through six, including a number which are Grade I events today. Bred and raced by Gifford A. Cochran, he was sired by the 1925 Kentucky Derby wi ...

(1930, 1931) * 2 –

Forego Forego (April 30, 1970 – August 27, 1997) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won eight Eclipse Awards including Horse of the Year, Champion Handicap Horse and Champion Sprinter. Background Foaled at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentuc ...

(1974, 1975) * 2 – Lite the Fuse (1995, 1996) * 2 –

Dads Caps A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

(2014, 2015) Most wins by an owner: * 4 –

Greentree Stable Greentree Stable, in Red Bank, New Jersey, was a major American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm established in 1914 by Payne Whitney of the Whitney family of New York City. Payne Whitney operated a horse farm and stable at Sar ...

(1943, 1950,1952, 1953) 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 ...

: * 4 –

James Stout James Stout (May 6, 1914 - July 12, 1976) was an American Hall of Fame thoroughbred horse racing jockey who won four Triple Crown races. Known as "Jimmy," he began working at a racetrack as a stable boy then in 1930 became a professional jock ...

(1939, 1944, 1945, 1954) * 4 –

Eddie Maple Edward Retz "Eddie" Maple (born November 8, 1948, in Carrollton, Ohio) is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. One of eight siblings, he is an older brother to jockey Sam Maple, who won more than 2,500 races. Maple began riding h ...

(1973, 1977, 1981, 1986)

Winners

References

{{reflist
The 2009 Carter Handicap at the NTRA
Grade 1 stakes races in the United States Graded stakes races in the United States Open mile category horse races Aqueduct Racetrack Horse races in New York City Recurring sporting events established in 1895 1895 establishments in New York City Sports in Queens, New York