The Fall Highweight Handicap is 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 ...

held annually near the end of November 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 ...

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Currently run at a distance of 6

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 (1,207 m), it is open to horses three years of age and older under handicap conditions. The race was given its current Grade III status in 2009 by the

American Graded Stakes Committee {{short description, Organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders. ...

. As the name implies, the race is known for the unusually high handicap weights assigned to each of the horses. In the past the top-weighted horse was assigned a minimum of 140 pounds (63.5 kg). Although the 140 pound rule is no longer in place, horses still carry more weight than they normally would. The highweight in the 2015 renewal, for example, carried 134 pounds. Run 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 ...

from its inception in 1914 to 1959 and again from 1963 to 1993, the Fall Highweight was open to horses of any age until 1959 when it was changed to its present format. It was raced on a straight course prior to 1921, from 1926 to 1939, and again from 1942 to 1957. A large field resulted in the 1976 edition being run in two divisions. The inaugural running of the Fall Highweight in 1914 was a remarkable victory for

Comely Comely (foaled 1912) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. She was bred by James R. Keene who sold her in a package deal to James Butler, owner of the Empire City Race Track. Butler had bought the entire 1912 crop produced by Keene's Castleto ...

who was not only a

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

that defeated male rivals, but the only two-year-old to ever win the race.

Records

Speed record: * 1:08 2/5 - Ariel Lad (1944) & Hitex (1952) - (Both were ridden by

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. Tripl ...

) Most wins: * 2 - Miss Merriment (1934, 1936) * 2 - Cassis (1943, 1946) * 2 - Ta Wee (1969, 1970) * 2 - Honorable Miss (1975, 1976) * 2 - What A Summer (1977, 1978) 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 ...

: * 5 -

(1937, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1958) * 5 -

John L. Rotz John L. Rotz (December 16, 1934 – July 12, 2021) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey and a World Champion in Western riding competitions. Early career After graduating from Warrensburg-Latham High School in Illinois in 1952, Rotz ...

(1964, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1972) * 5 -

Jorge Chavez Jorge is a Spanish and Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος (''Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker". The Latin form ''Georgius' ...

(1991, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999) Most wins by a trainer: * 5 - D. Wayne Lukas (1985, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2001) Most wins by an owner: * 4 -

Joseph E. Widener Joseph Early Widener (August 19, 1871 – October 26, 1943) was a wealthy American art collector who was a founding benefactor of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. A major figure in thoroughbred horse racing, he was head of New ...

(1919, 1929, 1931, 1941)

Winners

* In 1918, Fairy Wand finished first, but was disqualified.

References

{{Reflist Aqueduct Racetrack Horse races in the United States Open sprint category horse races Recurring sporting events established in 1887