The Pierrepont Handicap was an American

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 ...

first run in 1904 at the Jamaica Race Course in Jamaica, Queens, New York operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club which had begun racing operations the previous year. The race was open to three-year-olds of either sex and run on dirt over a distance of 1 1/8 miles.

Race history

The inaugural running of the Pierrepont was the feature event of the October 17, 1904

racecard A racecard is a printed card used in horse racing giving information about races, principally the horses running in each particular race. Racecards are often given in newspapers. Also known as a race book, which in this case is a small booklet ...

and was won by Dolly Spanker who was trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee T. J. Healey. In 1905's second edition, the two time

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

racemare

Eugenia Burch ''Eugenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It has a worldwide, although highly uneven, distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. The bulk of the approximately 1,100 species occur in the New World tropics, ...

set a new track record while carrying top weight in a field of thirteen.

Disruption

The 1880s saw intense

lobbying In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

by a

moralist Moralism is any philosophy with the central focus of applying moral judgements. The term is commonly used as a pejorative to mean "being overly concerned with making moral judgments or being illiberal in the judgments one makes". Moralism has s ...

movement to have betting on horse racing banned in the states of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and New York. They achieved their goals in New Jersey when the 1893 election gave Republicans control of the New Jersey Legislature who then passed legislation on March 21, 1894 that banned betting on horse racing in that state. The bill was signed into law by Democratic

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

George Werts George Theodore Werts (March 24, 1846January 17, 1910) was an American attorney, judge, and Democratic Party politician who served as the 28th governor of New Jersey from 1893 to 1896. His term in Governor coincided with the precipitous declin ...

, the effect of which was the complete cessation of horse racing in New Jersey that would last for more than five decades until the law was rescinded in 1946. The moralists then stepped up their activities to obtain the same ban in

New York state New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

which caused years of uncertainty. With the state's Hart–Agnew anti-wagering legislation in process, the Jamaica Race Course saw its opening day betting drop from $20,000 in 1907 to just $900 in 1908. For the track's fall racing program, the Pierrepont Handicap had to be dropped from the schedule. Although the race returned in 1909, and was won by James R. Keene's future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Maskette, it would be the last time it was held until 1918. That year Roamer, another future Hall of Fame inductee, won what was the sixth running of the Pierrepont Handicap. The severe financial difficulties of the Great Depression would spell the end for the Pierrepont Handicap in 1932. The final running was won by Sonny Whitney's four-year-old horse Halcyon.

Records

Speed record: * 1 1/8 miles: 1:51.00 – Distraction (1929) * 1 1/4 miles: 2:04.00 – Blind Play (1925) Most wins: * No horse won this race more than once Most wins by a jockey: * 3 –

Laverne Fator Laverne Andrew Fator (October 21, 1899 – May 16, 1936) was an American Hall of Fame jockey. Born in Hailey, Idaho, Laverne Fator and his brothers Mark and Elmer all became jockeys. The most successful of the three, Laverne Fator's riding ...

(1923, 1925, 1927) Most wins by a trainer: * 4 – T. J. Healey (1904, 1919, 1928, 1932) Most wins by an owner: * 2 – Richard T. Wilson Jr. (1904, 1919) * 2 – James R. Keene (1907, 1909) * 2 – Belair Stud Stable (1924, 1931)

Winners

References

{{reflist Open mile category horse races Discontinued horse races in New York City Jamaica Race Course Recurring sporting events established in 1904 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1932 1904 establishments in New York City 1932 disestablishments in New York (state)