The New England Futurity was a short-lived

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 ...

stakes race at

Narragansett Park Narragansett Park was an American race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Beginnings On May 18, 1934, Rhode Island voters approved a measure legalizing parimutuel betting by an almost 3 to 1 margin. The following day, ...

Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Falls ...

which the ''

Daily Racing Form The ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) (referred to as the ''Racing Form'' or "Form" and sometimes "telegraph" or "telly") is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois, by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of race ...

'' reported it to be "New England's richest and most important stake" For two-year-old entire colts and fillies, it was first run on October 28, 1936.

The Races

In a major upset, the

Ethel V. Mars Ethel Veronica Mars (birth name, née Healy; June 1884 – December 25, 1945) was an American businesswoman and racehorse owner. She was Ethel Veronica Healy prior to her marriage in 1910 to Franklin Clarence Mars, the founder of the Mars, Incorp ...

colt Reaping Reward defeated Jerome H. Loucheim's overwhelming favorite

Pompoon Pompoon (1934–1939) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was voted American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt for 1936. Owned by the prominent Philadelphia contractor and majority owner and president of CBS, Jerome H. Louchheim, Pompoon was tr ...

to win the inaugural running. The second edition of the New England Futurity was never run due to in what became known as '' The Race Track War''. It had been scheduled to run on Saturday, October 23, 1937 but in the days leading up to the race, a dispute got out of hand between Rhode Island Governor Robert Quinn and Walter E. O'Hara, Managing Director of the Narragansett Racing Association which owned and operated Narragansett Park. The Rhode Island state Horse Racing Division ordered O'Hara's removal as a track official and revoked the track's license at the close of the summer race meet. On October 17, Quinn declared that Narragansett Park was "in a state of insurrection," and ordered the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

to enforce martial law and lock down the track. There would be no fall racing, and the situation would not be resolved until February 9, 1938 when a court order resulted in law enforcement seizing the racetrack's record books. O'Hara then resigned and was replaced by track secretary Judge James Dooley. When racing resumed at Narragansett Park, the 1938 edition provided racing fans with a glimpse of the greatness to come from the Maryland owned, bred and raced

Challedon Challedon (1936–1958) was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred in Maryland by William L. Brann and Robert S. Castle, he raced under the colors of their Branncastle Farm. Two-year-old-season Racing at age two, Chall ...

who beat a strong field. On September 28, 1939, over a muddy track,

Parker Corning Parker Corning (January 22, 1874 – May 24, 1943) was an American businessman and politician from Albany, New York. He is most notable for his service as a United States representative from New York from 1923 to 1937. A member of the Alb ...

's Straight Lead won. Trained by future

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

inductee

Max Hirsch Maximilian Justice "Max" Hirsch (July 12, 1880 - April 3, 1969) was an American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse horse trainer, trainer. Born in Fredericksburg, Texas, and raised Roman ...

, the colt beat Fenelon from the powerful

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 S ...

stable. In 1940, Robert W. McIlvain's Walmac Farm won the race with the colt Bushwhacker. At the new distance of six

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, he beat Anne Corning's colt Attention who had twice beaten

Whirlaway Whirlaway (April 2, 1938 – April 6, 1953) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the fifth winner of the American Triple Crown. He also won the Travers Stakes after his Triple Crown sweep to become the first and only horse to ...

, the

Calumet Farm Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of the Bluegras ...

colt who would go on to win the 1941 U.S. Triple Crown.Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky) October 5, 1940 page 17
Retrieved August 7, 2018

Winners

References

{{reflist Narragansett Park Discontinued horse races Horse races in the United States Flat horse races for two-year-olds Recurring sporting events established in 1926 Sports in Rhode Island Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1940