The Dwyer Stakes is an American Grade III

stakes race Glossary of North American horse racing: Additional glossaries at: *Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting *Glossary of equestrian terms This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical terminology and jargon ...

for three-year-old

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorses Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

held annually 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 ...

racetrack in Elmont,

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. Run in early July, it is open to three-year-old horses and is raced over a distance of 1 mile on dirt. It currently offers a purse of $500,000. Inaugurated in 1887 as the Brooklyn Derby at the now defunct

Gravesend Race Track Gravesend Race Track at Gravesend in Brooklyn, New York was a Thoroughbred horse racing facility that opened in 1886 and closed in 1910. The track was built by the Brooklyn Jockey Club with the backing of Philip and Michael Dwyer, two wealthy raci ...

Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...

, in 1918 it was renamed for the Dwyer brothers,

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, who dominated thoroughbred racing in the late 19th century. At one time, it was a Grade I stakes race that was a major part of the American Thoroughbred racing season. It was known as the Dwyer Handicap from 1957 to 1978. Since inception, the race has been contested at various distances: * 1 mile : 2015 to present * miles – 1887–1924, 1935–1939, 1994 to 2014 * miles – 1888–1897, 1915–1924, 1935–1939, 1975–1993, 2010 * miles – 1956–1959 * miles – 1910–1914, 1925, 1940–1955, 1960–1974 * miles – 1925 * miles – 1887, 1898–1909, 1926–1934 The race has been held at: *

– 1887–1910 * Old Aqueduct Racetrack – 1913–1955 *

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 ...

– 1960–1974, 1976 *

Jamaica Race Course 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 featu ...

– 1956, 1959 * Belmont Park – 1977 to present In 1908

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was the first of three generations to win the Dwyer. His son,

Man o' War Man o' War (March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time. Several sports publications, including ''The Blood-Horse'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ESPN, and ...

, won it in 1920; and Man o' War's sons

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and Crusader won it in 1925 and 1926, respectively. The 1920 Dwyer turned into a

match race A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head. In sailboat racing it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams consis ...

when the owner of John P. Grier was the only one willing to run their horse against Man o' War. However, confronting John P. Grier proved to be one of his hardest races. The two horses raced head-to-head for most of the distance until John P. Grier put his nose in front at the eighth pole, but Man o' War came back to win by more than a length. This race was downgraded to a Grade III for its 2014 running.http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/82327/eight-stakes-elevated-in-status-for-2014

Records

Speed record: * at 1 mile – 1:33.74 – Firenze Fire (2018) * at miles – 1:40.02 –

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(2004) 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 ...

: * 6 –

Jerry D. Bailey Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American Hall of Fame jockey. Early years Bailey was born in Dallas but raised in El Paso. He had a pony as a child and became ...

(1983, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2005) Most wins by a trainer: * 9 – Jim Fitzsimmons (1922, 1930, 1932, 1935, 1939, 1949, 1955, 1957, 1961) Most wins by an owner: * 6 –

Belair Stud Belair Stud was an American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm founded by Provincial Governor of Maryland Samuel Ogle in 1747 in Collington, Prince George's County, Maryland, in Colonial America. Colonial period Queen Mab and S ...

(1930, 1932, 1935, 1939, 1949, 1955) * 6 –

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 ...

(1931, 1956, 1963, 1968, 1973, 1974)

Winners

* In 1940, Snow Ridge finished first, but was disqualified.
* In 1992, Three Peat finished first but was disqualified and set back to second.

References

{{reflist
The 2009 Dwyer Stakes at the NTRA

External links

The Dwyer Stakes at Pedigree Query
1887 establishments in New York (state) Horse races in New York (state) Gravesend Race Track Jamaica Race Course Belmont Park Flat horse races for three-year-olds Graded stakes races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1887