The Queens County Handicap is an American Ungraded

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 ...

run annually during the second week of December 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 ...

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...

. Open to horses age three years and older, it is contested on dirt at a distance of one and three-sixteenths miles (9.5

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). Inaugurated in 1902, the Queens County Handicap is one of America's oldest races still running. It was hosted by

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 ...

in 1946 and at the old

Jamaica Racetrack Jamaica Race Course, also called the Jamaica Racetrack, was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. History The track opened on April 27, 1903, a day which feat ...

Jamaica, Queens, New York Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is mainly composed of a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis to the east; St. Albans, Springf ...

from 1956 to 1958. Since inception it has been contested at various distances: * 1 mile, 70 yards : 1902–1903 * 1 mile : 1904–1939, 1959–1963 * miles : 1940–1958, 1993 * miles: 1964–1971, 2012 – present * miles : 1972–1992, 1994–2011 The Queens County is, like many races at Aqueduct, named for a New York City borough. Queens is the borough that includes the Aqueduct race track. It is also the largest of New York City's

five boroughs 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awar ...

. There was no race run in 1909, and from 1911 through 1913. The race, once a graded stakes, has lost that status.

Historical notes

In winning the 1916 Queens County Handicap, Short Grass set a new United States record of 1:36 2/5 for one mile over a dirt course with a turn. In 2001, three-year-old Evening Attire won the race. Six years later he came back to win it again at age nine, making him the oldest horse to ever win the Queens County Handicap.

Records

Speed record: (at distance of miles) * 1:54.40 – Sunny And Mild (1972) Most wins: * 2 – Roamer (1915, 1918) * 2 – Halcyon (1931, 1932) * 2 –

Three Rings In Tolkien's mythology, the Three Rings are magical artefacts forged by the Elves of Eregion. After the One Ring, they are the most powerful of the twenty Rings of Power. The Three Rings were made by Celebrimbor after Sauron, in the guise of ' ...

(1949, 1950) * 2 – Evening Attire (2001, 2007) 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 –

Eddie Maple Edward Retz "Eddie" Maple (born November 8, 1948, in Carrollton, Ohio) is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. One of eight siblings, he is an older brother to jockey Sam Maple, who won more than 2,500 races. Maple began riding h ...

(1977, 1979, 1985, 1986, 1991) Most wins by a trainer: * 5 –

Sam Hildreth Samuel Clay Hildreth (May 16, 1866 – September 24, 1929) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer and owner.Rancocas Stable Rancocas Farm was an American thoroughbred horse racing stud farm and racing stable located on Monmouth Road ( County Road 537) in the Jobstown section of Springfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey. Pierre Lorillard IV The farm was foun ...

(1922, 1923, 1924, 1925)

Winners

Notes

References

The 2009 Queens County Handicap at the NTRA
{dead link, date=July 2016 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Horse races in New York City Graded stakes races in the United States Open middle distance horse races Aqueduct Racetrack Recurring sporting events established in 1902 1902 establishments in New York City

Historical notes

Records

Winners

See also

Notes

References