The Governor Stakes was an American

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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 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 ...

in Elmont,

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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 * '' ...

. Held in early September, the race was open to horses age three and older and was contested on dirt over a distance of one and one-eighth miles (9 furlongs). Inaugurated in 1969, the event was run as the Governor Nicholls Stakes for its first two years. The colonial governor was honored as the man who in 1665 established a horse racing track on Long Island's

Hempstead Plains The Hempstead Plains is a region of central Long Island, in what is now Nassau County, in New York State. It was once an open expanse of native grassland estimated to once extend to about . It was separated from the North Shore of Long Island by ...

. The trophy presentation to the winning owner of the inaugural running was made by Frederick Fitzpatrick Rainsford, deputy Consul-General of the British

consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...

. New York's

Roosevelt Raceway Roosevelt Raceway was a race track located just outside the village of Westbury on Long Island, New York. Initially created as a venue for motor racing, it was converted to a ½-mile harness racing facility (the actual circumference was 100 fee ...

also honored the Colonial Governor with a

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...

event named the Governor Richard Nicholls Pace. Following the 1973 implementation of the Thoroughbred graded stakes race system in North America, the Governor Stakes was awarded Grade 1 status, giving it the highest ranking possible which was maintained until the race was discontinued following the 1975 edition.

Historical notes

The September 2, 1969 inaugural running offered a purse of $100,000 added and saw both attendance and wagering set a Belmont Park record for a Labor Day program. The race was won by

Verbatim Verbatim means word for word. Verbatim may also refer to: * Verbatim (brand), a brand of storage media and flash memory * Verbatim (horse), an American racehorse * ''Verbatim'' (magazine), edited by Erin McKean * Verbatim theatre Documentary the ...

. Owned by the

Elmendorf Farm Elmendorf Farm is a Kentucky Thoroughbred horse farm in Fayette County, Kentucky, involved with horse racing since the 19th century. Once the North Elkhorn Farm, many owners and tenants have occupied the area, even during the American Civil War. M ...

Maxwell Gluck Maxwell Henry Gluck (November 4, 1899 – November 23, 1984) was an American businessman, diplomat, thoroughbred horse breeder and philanthropist. He served as the United States Ambassador to Ceylon from September 19, 1957, to October 2, 1958. B ...

, Verbatim was trained by future

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The H ...

inductee Jerry Meyer and ridden by

Pete Anderson Pete Anderson is an American guitarist, music producer, arranger and songwriter. Anderson is most known for his guitar work with, and critically acclaimed production of, country music star Dwight Yoakam from 1984 through 2002, a partnership th ...

Big Spruce Big Spruce (1969–2001) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was an outstanding middle to longer distance runner on both dirt and grass called "one of North America's leading runners in the early 1970s" by the ''Thoroughbred Times'' Back ...

won the 1974 Governor Stakes and went on to win Belmont Park's very important

Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap The Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap was a Thoroughbred horse race first run in September 1973 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A Grade 1 race for horses 3 years old and up, it was raced over a distance of miles on a dirt track. The race c ...

, a race that was a precursor to the

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October o ...

Wajima and the final Governor Stakes

Trained by Stephen DiMauro, in 1975 Wajima won what would prove to be the final edition of the Governor Stakes. A son of

Bold Ruler Bold Ruler (April 6, 1954 – July 11, 1971) was an American Thoroughbred National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame racehorse who was the 1957 American Horse of the Year, Horse of the Year. This following a three-year-old campaign t ...

, one of America's greatest Champion sires, Wajima was purchased as a yearling by James A. Scully for an unheard of $600,000. He in turn sold America greatest shares to Harold I. Snyder, James Welch, and Japan's preeminent breeder, Zenya Yoshida. Members of the racing industry and fans would watch closely, many believing that Wajima was an overpriced risk. In July 1975, the respected '' Louisville, Kentucky Courier-Journal'' published a story about the chances for success with such expensive Thoroughbred purchases titled "''Is untried horseflesh worth that much?''". Raced by the owners under the '' nom de course'' East-West Stable, in 1974 Wajima won two of fours starts in his first year of racing but without a stakes win. He ended the year having won just $40,387. At age three the $600,000 colt was hampered early by leg problems and could not attempt a run at the U.S. Triple Crown series. Back in competition, on July 19, 1975 Wajima began to show what was to come with a win in the Marylander Handicap that broke the Bowie Race Track's record time for a mile and one-eighth. Within a few weeks Wajima was competing and winning in Grade 1 events. On September 1, in a race open to older horses, the three-year-old Wajima won a hard-fought Governor Stakes by a head over runner-up

Foolish Pleasure Foolish Pleasure (March 23, 1972 – November 17, 1994) was an American bay Thoroughbred race horse who won the 1975 Kentucky Derby. Background Foolish Pleasure was a bay horse bred at Williston, Florida by Waldemar Farms, Inc. He was owned by J ...

, that year's

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

winner. Also in the field was the legendary

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Forego Forego (April 30, 1970 – August 27, 1997) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won eight Eclipse Awards including Horse of the Year, Champion Handicap Horse and Champion Sprinter. Background Foaled at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky ...

plus other very good runners including Stop The Music and another future Hall of Fame inductee,

Ancient Title {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Ancient Title , image = , caption = , sire = Gummo , grandsire = Fleet Nasrullah , dam = Hi Little Gal , damsire = Bar Le Duc , sex = Gelding , foaled = 1970 , country = United States , colour = Ba ...

. On September 13, Wajima won Belmont Park's rich Grade 1

. The ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' report on the race carried the headline "''Wajima Now Rated A $600,000 Bargain''." A few weeks later, Wajima was syndicated for $7.2 million.

Records

Speed record: * 1:46.20 @ 1-1/8 miles:

(1974) Most wins by an owner: * 2 -

(Maxwell Gluck) (1969, 1974)

Winners

References

{{reflist Discontinued horse races in New York (state) Graded stakes races in the United States Open mile category horse races Recurring sporting events established in 1969 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1976 Governors of the Province of New York Belmont Park