The Eclipse Stakes was an American Thorougbred race for two-year-old horses of either sex. Inaugurated August 24, 1889 at New York's
Morris Park Racecourse
Morris Park Racecourse was an American Thoroughbred horse race, thoroughbred horse racing facility from 1889 to 1904. It was located in a part of Westchester County, New York that was annexed into the Bronx in 1895 and later developed as the neighb ...
with a then substantial purse of $28,000, from inception through 1894 the race was known as the Great Eclipse Stakes. Initially run at a distance of 6 furlongs, in 1897 the race was reduced to 5 1/2 furlongs. The Morris Park facility did not reopen after its 1904 racing season and in 1905 the event was taken up by the owners of the new Belmont Park racing facility in
Elmont, New York
Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the 2 ...
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 ...
. Without income from wagering, racetracks throughout New York began cutting costs to survive and the Eclipse was one of its casualties.
The first edition of the Eclipse in 1889 was won by El Rio Rey, a colt bred in California by Theodore Winters for whom the city of
Winters, California
Winters is a city in rural Yolo County, and the western Sacramento Valley, in northern California.
The population of Winters was 6,624 as of the 2010 Census. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Yuba City, CA-NV Combined Statistical A ...
was named.
Tammany's win in the 1891 Great Eclipse Stakes was a surprise to not only the fans but to trainer
Matthew Byrnes
Matthew may refer to:
* Matthew (given name)
* Matthew (surname)
* ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497
* ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith
* Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chi ...
Blue Girl
Blue Girl (1899–1919) was an American Thoroughbred racemare that was the Champion 2 and 3-year old female in 1901 and 1902, respectively.
Pedigree
Blue Girl was bred in Kentucky by the Ezekiel Clay & Catesby Woodford breeding partnership and ...
, winner of the May 24, 1901 Eclipse Stakes for owner/trainer
John Madden
John Earl Madden (April 10, 1936 – December 28, 2021) was an American football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, who he led to eight pl ...
, would finish the year as a Co-Champion Two-Year-Old Filly with Endurance by Right. The next year Blue Girl would earn the same honor but this time by herself as the 1902 three-year-old champion.
The final running of the Eclipse Stakes in 1907 was won by the great Hall of Fame inductee Colin.
In 1920, the Empire City Race Track revived usage of the name Eclipse for a short-lived race for older horses at a much longer distance.
Tammany
Tamanend (historically also known as Taminent, Tammany, Saint Tammany or King Tammany, "the Affable," ) (–) was the Chief of Chiefs and Chief of the Turtle Clan of the Lenni-Lenape nation in the Delaware Valley signing the Peace Treaty with ...
Danny Maher
Daniel Aloysius Maher (October 29, 1881 – November 9, 1916) was an American Hall of Fame jockey who also became a Champion jockey in Great Britain.
U.S. riding career
Danny Maher commenced his career at the age of 14, weighing 65 pounds. He ...
Sam Hildreth
Samuel Clay Hildreth (May 16, 1866 – September 24, 1929) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer and owner.August Belmont Jr. (1896, 1902)