The Empire City Gold Cup 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 ...

first run in 1947 and 1948 at Belmont Park then at Jamaica Race Course from 1949 through 1953 as a race created for horses age three and older. With its lucrative $100,000 purse, it was promoted as an international event in an effort to attract horses from Europe and South America. Run in October or early November it was contested on dirt at a distance of 1 5/8 miles which made it best suited for stayers.

Winners and Losers

While a short-lived event, the Empire City Gold Cup attracted some of the best horses of the era. The inaugural race in 1947 was won by

Stymie A stymie is an obsolete rule in the sport of golf. It legislated for the situation where a player's ball lay behind or blocked by another player's ball; the blocked player was not afforded relief. In the modern game, the blocking ball is temporar ...

, a future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee who was voted #41 on the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century. Among the seven starters were two from South America. The following year Citation came into the 1948 edition of the Empire City Gold Cup as that year's U.S. Triple Crown winner. Citation would be voted that year's U.S. Horse of the Year, become a Hall of Fame member, and be voted #3 on the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century. 1952 winner One Count would also go on to earn American Horse of the Year honors that year. In its final running on October 31, 1953, Crafty Admiral, the American Champion Older Male Horse of 1952, won by 10 Lengths. Prominent horses beaten in the Empire City Gold Cup includes 1946 Triple Crown winner Assault was ran third behind winner Stymie and runnerup

Natchez Natchez may refer to: Places * Natchez, Alabama, United States * Natchez, Indiana, United States * Natchez, Louisiana, United States * Natchez, Mississippi, a city in southwestern Mississippi, United States * Grand Village of the Natchez, a site o ...

. Christopher Chenery's

Hill Prince Hill Prince (1947–1970) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was one of the leading American two-year-olds of 1949, alongside Oil Capitol and Middleground. In 1950, he ran fifteen times, winning races including the Preakness Stakes, ...

, the 1950 American Horse of the Year and a future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, ran second to Sonny Whitney's Counterpoint in the 1951 race.

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, the 1947

American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse The American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ''Turf & Sport ...

and that year's Belmont Stakes winner was no match for Citation and finished second by two lengths.

Records

Speed record: * 2:42 3/5 @ 1 miles (1947) Most wins: * no horse won this race more than once Most wins by a jockey: * 2 -

Eddie Arcaro George Edward Arcaro (February 19, 1916 – November 14, 1997), was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Triple ...

(1948, 1950) * 2 - Dave Gorman (1951, 1952) Most wins by a trainer: * 2 - Oscar White (1949, 1952) Most wins by an owner: * 2 - Sarah F. Jeffords (1949, 1952)

Winners

References

{{reflist Open long distance horse races Discontinued horse races in New York (state) Belmont Park Jamaica Race Course Recurring sporting events established in 1947 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1953 1947 establishments in New York (state) 1953 disestablishments in New York (state)