The Lawrence Realization Stakes was an American

horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

first run on the turf in 1889. The race, for three-year-old

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

colts, geldings and fillies, was last run in 2005.

History

Inaugurated at the

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 ...

Gravesend, New York Gravesend is a neighborhood in the south-central section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, on the southwestern edge of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. It is bounded by the Belt Parkway to the south, Bay Parkway to the west, ...

, it was held there until 1913. At that time, the race was the richest stakes for three-year-olds in the United States. It was run as the Realization Stakes until 1899, when it was renamed to honor James G. K. Lawrence, president of the

Coney Island Jockey Club 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 Y ...

(which owned the racetrack). Lawrence was also responsible for creating of the Futurity Stakes in 1888. The stakes were later 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 ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

as a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

race on the dirt. The race continued to be run there (except for the Belmont Park redevelopment period from 1962 to 1968) until it was removed from the calendar in 2005 by the

New York Racing Association The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest Thoroughbred horse racing tracks in the state of New York, United States: Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens; Belmont Park ...

(NYRA) as a cost-cutting measure. For 70 years, the Lawrence Realization was one of the most prestigious annual events in the American

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

calendar. Only two horses contested the race in 1918, 1920, 1944, and 1946; however, due to the large number of entries in 1976 and 1985 it was run in two divisions. The race was contested over several distances: * 1⅝ miles : 1889–1913, 1918–1969 * 1½ miles : 1916–1917, 1970–2004 * 1⅛ miles : 2005

Records

On September 4, 1920,

Man o' War Man o' War (March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time. Several sports publications, including ''The Blood-Horse'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ESPN, and ...

won the 1⅝-mile Lawrence Realization by 100 lengths over the only other runner, Hoodwink. His time for the race was 2:40 4/5, which broke the world record for the distance by 1 3/5 seconds and was his fifth record-setting performance that year. The great Kelso tied the record in 1960.

Records for distance

* At 1½ miles : 2:25.94 – ''Parade Ground'' (1998) * At 1⅝ miles : 2:40.80 – ''Man o' War'' (1920) * At 1⅝ miles : 2:40.80 – ''Kelso'' (1960)

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 –

Braulio Baeza Braulio Baeza (born March 26, 1940) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey and one of the master Thoroughbred jockeys of our time. In 1963, he was the first Latin American jockey to win the Kentucky Derby. Baeza began his ra ...

(1961, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1972) * 5 –

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 ...

(1935, 1939, 1952, 1959, 1960)

Most wins by a trainer

* 8 – "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons (1924, 1925, 1930, 1932, 1934, 1936, 1938, 1940)

Most wins by an owner

* 6 –

Belair Stud Belair Stud was an American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm founded by Provincial Governor of Maryland Samuel Ogle in 1747 in Collington, Prince George's County, Maryland, in Colonial America. Colonial period Queen Mab and ...

(1924, 1925, 1930, 1932, 1936, 1940)

Winners

* † In 1919, Over There finished first but was disqualified.
Lawrence Realization winners. Accessed February 4, 2011.

References

{{reflist Graded stakes races in the United States Belmont Stakes Sheepshead Bay Race Track Flat horse races for three-year-olds Horse races in the United States Turf races in the United States Discontinued horse races