The Dolphin Stakes 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 ...

run between 1887 and 1909 at Sheepshead Bay Race Track in

Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn Sheepshead Bay is a neighborhood in southern Brooklyn, New York City. It is bounded by Ocean Parkway to the west; Avenue T and Kings Highway to the north; Nostrand Avenue and Gerritsen Avenue to the east; and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. ...

, New York. Open to three-year-old horses, it was raced over a distance of 1 1/8 miles on dirt.

Historical notes

The inaugural edition of the Dolphin Stakes was won by Kingston who would finish his racing career with 89 wins, the most in the history of

Thoroughbred 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 i ...

. Kingston, his jockey, and his trainer all would have careers that led to induction in America's Racing Hall of Fame. In 1894

Henry of Navarre Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...

was another future Hall of Fame inductee that won the Dolphin Stakes. He came into the event having already won that year's Travers and Belmont Stakes. Beldame, a third Dolphin Stakes winner that would be inducted in the Hall of Fame, won the 1904 running. For that year she would be named American Horse of the Year. The final edition of the Dolphin Stakes was won by Gliding Belle, a filly owned by William F. Schulte who had been an owner of Churchill Downs and served as president and CEO from 1895 to 1901. Schulte was responsible for adding the now iconic twin spires to the Churchill Downs grandstand.

The End of a Race and of a Racetrack

The 1908 passage of the Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation by the

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

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

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 ...

created havoc in the state's racing industry and would lead to a complete shutdown of racing in 1911 and 1912. The owners of Sheepshead Bay Race Track, and other racing facilities in New York State, struggled to stay in business without income from betting. Racetrack operators had no choice but to eliminate certain races and drastically reduce the

purse money A purse is a small bag that may refer to: * Coin purse, small pouch made for carrying coins * Handbag, in American English * Money bag * Wallet Purse may also refer to: * Purse (horse racing), the total amount of money paid out to the owners o ...

being paid out which resulted in the Dolphin Stakes not being run in 1908. Brought back in 1909 with a purse reduced to less than one-eighth of what it had been in earlier years. These small purses made horse racing unprofitable and impossible for even the most successful horse owners to continue in business. A February 21, 1913 ruling by the

New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division The Appellate Divisions of the Supreme Court of the State of New York are the intermediate appellate courts in New York State. There are four Appellate Divisions, one in each of the state's four Judicial Departments (e.g., the full title of the ...

saw horse racing return in 1913. However, it was too late for the Sheepshead Bay horse racing facility and it never reopened.

Records

Speed record: * 1:53 flat @ 1 1/8 miles: Nealon (1906) Most wins by a jockey: * 2 – Jim McLaughlin (1998, 1888) * 2 – Fred Taral (1891, 1893) * 2 – Frank O'Neill (1904, 1905) Most wins by a trainer: * 2 –

William Lakeland William Lakeland (1847-1921) was an Australian explorer and prospector in the late 19th and early 20th century. Early life William Lakeland was born in May 1847 in Sydney, and christened there at Saint James Parish on 13 May 1847. Some source ...

(1893, 1895, 1896) Most wins by an owner: * 2 – Byron McClelland (1892, 1894) * 2 – James R. Keene (1893, 1895)

Winners

References

{{reflist Discontinued horse races in New York City Flat horse races for three-year-olds Open mile category horse races Sheepshead Bay Race Track Recurring sporting events established in 1887 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1909 1887 establishments in New York (state) 1909 disestablishments in New York (state)