The Messenger Stakes is an American

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 for 3-year-old pacing horses. It was organized in 1956 at

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 ...

in Westbury,

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 * '' ...

(on suburban

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 ...

) to join with the

Cane Pace The Cane Pace is a harness horse race for standardbred pacers run annually since 1955. The race was first run as the William H. Cane Futurity in 1955 at Yonkers Raceway in New York. In 1956 the race joined with the Little Brown Jug and the Messe ...

and the Little Brown Jug to create the

Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers The Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers consists of these horse races: #Cane Pace, held at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, New Jersey #Messenger Stakes, held at Yonkers Raceway in Yonkers, New York # Little Brown Jug, held at t ...

. The race is named in honor of

Messenger ''MESSENGER'' was a NASA robotic space probe that orbited the planet Mercury between 2011 and 2015, studying Mercury's chemical composition, geology, and magnetic field. The name is a backronym for "Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geoche ...

(1780–1808), a horse foaled in England and later brought to the United States. As a sire, virtually all harness horses in the U.S. can be traced back to Messenger. One of the preeminent events for harness racing horses in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, the race was held annually at Roosevelt Raceway until it closed down in 1988. From 1988 to 1994, the race changed locations several times, from

Yonkers Raceway Yonkers Raceway & Empire City Casino, founded in 1899 as the Empire City Race Track, is a one-half-mile standardbred harness racing dirt track and slots racino located at the intersection of Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, New Y ...

(

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...

) to

Freestate Raceway Freestate Raceway (originally Laurel Raceway from 1948 to 1979) was a horse racing track in Maryland. It opened in 1948 and closed in 1990. History Laurel: 1947–1979 In September 1947, a meeting was held about bringing a harness racetrack ...

Rosecroft Raceway Rosecroft Raceway, nicknamed the "Raceway by the Beltway" for being close to Interstate 495, is a harness racing track in Fort Washington, Maryland. It first opened in 1949 and was owned by William E. Miller, a horse trainer and breeder. Rosec ...

(both in Maryland). In 1995, it moved to The Meadows Racetrack in the

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

area. In 2004, the race was supposed to be moved back to

. However, due to construction at the track, the race was moved to Harrington Raceway in

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, where the event was held in 2004 and '05. The race moved back to Yonkers Raceway in November 2006. The 2015 edition was raced at Yonkers on September 5 for a total purse of US$500,000. Much like the Little Brown Jug, the Messenger was raced in heat events, meaning a horse had to win an elimination heat and the final on the same day to be declared the winner. Starting from 2006 at Yonkers, there will be eliminations, if necessary, one week prior to the event.

Locations

*1956–1987 -

*1988, 2006–present -

*1989 -

*1990–1994 -

*1995–2003 -

The Meadows Racetrack and Casino Hollywood Casino at The Meadows, originally The Meadows Racetrack and Casino, is a Standardbred Horse, Standardbred harness racing, harness-racing Racetrack, track and slot-machine casino in North Strabane Township, Pennsylvania, United States, a ...

*2004–2005 -

Harrington Raceway & Casino Harrington Raceway & Casino is a harness racing track and casino (a "racino") located on the fairgrounds of the Delaware State Fair, just south of Harrington, Delaware, south of Dover. The casino, formerly known as Midway Slots, has over 1,800 ...

Records

; Most wins by a driver: * 8 – John Campbell (1986, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2004) ; Most wins by a trainer: * 8 –

Billy Haughton William Robert (Billy) Haughton (November 23, 1923 – July 15, 1986) was an American harness driver and trainer. He was one of only three drivers to win the Hambletonian four times, the only one to win the Little Brown Jug five times, and the ...

(1956, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1985) ; Stakes record: * 1:50 3/5 – Allamerican Ingot (2002)

Messenger Stakes winners

References

{{Triple Crown of Horse Racing Yonkers Raceway Harness races in the United States Harness races for three-year-old pacers Messenger Stakes winners Horse races in New York (state) United States Triple Crown of Harness Racing Sports in Yonkers, New York Recurring sporting events established in 1956 1956 establishments in New York (state)