The Great Eastern Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race first run in 1883 at

Sheepshead Bay Race Track Sheepshead Bay Race Track was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility built on the site of the Coney Island Jockey Club at Sheepshead Bay, New York. Early history The racetrack was built by a group of prominent businessmen from the New Yo ...

in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn,

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 * '' ...

. A race for two-year-old horses of either sex, it was run on dirt over a distance of 6 furlongs.

The end of a race and of a racetrack

The Great Eastern Handicap was last run in September 1909 after the Republican controlled New York Legislature under Governor Charles Evans Hughes passed the Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation on June 11, 1908. The owners of Sheepshead Bay Race Track, and other racing facilities in New York State, struggled to stay in business without betting. Racetrack operators had no choice but to drastically reduce the purse money being paid out which resulted in the Great Eastern Handicap offering a purse in 1909 that was one-quarter of what it had been in earlier years. These small purses made horse racing unprofitable and impossible for even the most successful horse owners to continue in business. As such, for the 1910 racing season management of the Sheepshead Bay facility dropped some of its minor stakes races and used the purse money to bolster its most important events. Further restrictive legislation was passed by the New York Legislature in 1910 which resulted in the deepening of the financial crisis for track operators and led to a complete shut down of racing across the state during 1911 and 1912. When a Court ruling saw racing return in 1913 it was too late for the Sheepshead Bay facility and it never reopened.

Historical notes

Jockey

LaVerne Sewell LaVerne Sewell (July 14, 1888 – November 9, 1906) was an up-and-coming American thoroughbred racing jockey who was competing in only his second year of racing when he died at age eighteen as a result of a racing accident at New York's Aqueduct ...

, who won the 1906 edition, was killed in a racing accident later that year 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 ...

on November 9. In its story on the accident, the '' Pittsburgh Press'' called Sewell one of the most promising riders in the East. Sewell's death had been the fourth on the Eastern racetracks so far that year. Race distances: * 6 furlongs: 1883–1889, 1901–1909 * 5.75 furlongs: 1890–1900 (Futurity course 1263 yards, 1 foot)

Records

Speed record: * 5.75 furlongs: 1:09.20 – Black Venus (1898) * 6 furlongs: 1:10.60 – Sewell (1906) 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 ...

: * 2 – Edward Garrison (1883, 1892) * 2 – Anthony Hamilton (1887, 1893) * 2 –

Fred Taral Frederick J. "Fred" Taral (August 2, 1867 – February 13, 1925) was an American Hall of Fame jockey. Jockey career Taral began his career in racing in the 1880s at small racetracks in Oklahoma. In 1883, he rode his first competitive thorough ...

(1896, 1897) Most wins by a trainer: Ŧ * 3 –

A. Jack Joyner Andrew Jackson "Jack" Joyner (August 4, 1861 – September 1, 1943) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer and owner. Known as "Jack" and reported as "A.J." and "A. Jack", Joyner was born in Enfield, North Carolina, the ...

(1892, 1903, 1904) Most wins by an owner: * 2 – Blemton Stable (

August Belmont Jr. August Belmont Jr. (February 18, 1853 – December 10, 1924) was an American financier. He financed the construction of the original New York City subway (1900–1904) and for many years headed the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, which ran ...

) (1892, 1893) * 2 – John E. Madden (1897, 1907) Ŧ based on 23 of the 27 years the race was run.

Winners

References

{{reflist Flat horse races for two-year-olds Open sprint category horse races Discontinued horse races in New York City Sheepshead Bay Race Track Recurring sporting events established in 1883 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1909 1883 establishments in New York (state) 1909 disestablishments in New York (state)