Double Event Stakes

Double Event Stakes
Discontinued stakes race
LocationSheepshead Bay Race Track, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York
Inaugurated1889–1910
Race typeThoroughbred – Flat racing
Race information
DistancePart 1: 1889–1910, 5.5 F
Part 2: 1889–1900, 5.75 F & 1901–1910: 6 F
SurfaceDirt
Trackleft-handed
QualificationTwo-year-old colts & fillies

The Double Event Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in two parts from 1889 through 1910 at Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. A race on dirt for two-year-old colts and fillies, the first part was run on the track's opening day in June and at a distance of 5½ furlongs throughout its term. The second part was run in mid July at a distance of 5 3/4 furlongs until 1901 when it was set at six furlongs. Each race originally carried a guaranteed purse of $10,000 and a bonus of $1,000 to the owners of any horse who won both parts.[1][2][3][4]

Dual winners

The Double Event was run for twenty-two years. In its first eight editions from 1889 through 1896, five horses won both parts but in the last fourteen from 1897 through 1910 there were none. Jockey Tod Sloan won both parts in 1898 on two different horses.

Year
 Part 1 winners
 Part 2 winners
1910 Housemaid Footprints
1909 Dalmatian Lovetie
1908 Fayette Sir Martin Ŧ
1907 Firestone Stamina
1906 Ballot Water Pearl
1905 George C. Bennett Ironsides
1904 Song and Wine Veto
1903 Aristocracy Conjurer
1902 Mexican Whitechapel
1901 Nasturtium Ŧ Fly Wheel
1900 Tower of Candles Elkhorn
1899 Prince of Melbourne Mesmerist Ŧ
1898 Kingdon Jean Bereaud Ŧ
1897 Bowling Brook Hamburg Ŧ
1896 Ornament Ornament
1895 Handspring Handspring
1894 Keenan Cesarion
1893 Hornpipe Hornpipe
1892 Ajax Corduroy
1891 His Highness Ŧ Victory
1890 Russell Russell
1889 Torso Torso

Demise of the Double Event Stakes

After years of uncertainty, on June 11, 1908 the Republican controlled New York Legislature under Governor Charles Evans Hughes passed the Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation with penalties allowing for fines and up to a year in prison.[5] The owners of Sheepshead Bay Race Track, and other racing facilities in New York State, struggled to stay in business without income from betting.[6] Racetrack operators had no choice but to drastically reduce the purse money being paid out which resulted in the Double Event offering a purse in 1909 that was one-sixth of what it had been in earlier years. These small purses made horse racing highly unprofitable and impossible for even the most successful horse owners to continue in business. As such, for the 1910 racing season management of the Sheepshead Bay facility dropped some of its minor stakes races and used the purse money to bolster its most important events. The effect was to restore the purse offered for the Double Event to about half of what it had been.[7] Further restrictive legislation was passed by the New York Legislature in 1910 which deepened the financial crisis for track operators and led to a complete shut down of racing across the state during 1911 and 1912. After a 1911 amendment to the law to limit the liability of owners and directors was defeated, every racetrack in New York State shut down.[8] Owners, whose horses of racing age had nowhere to go, began sending them, their trainers and their jockeys to race in England and France. Many horses ended their racing careers there, and a number remained to become an important part of the European horse breeding industry. Thoroughbred Times reported that more than 1,500 American horses were sent overseas between 1908 and 1913 and of them at least 24 were either past, present, or future Champions.[9] When a February 21, 1913 ruling by the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division saw horse racing return in 1913 it was too late for the Sheepshead Bay horse racing facility and it never reopened.[10][11]

Records

John Madden was the dominant figure in both parts of the Double Event, winning the most races as both a trainer and as an owner.

Part 1 winners

Year
 Winner
 Age
 Jockey
 Trainer
 Owner
 Dist.
(Furlongs) 		Time
 Win$
1910 Housemaid 2 A. Thomas Raleigh Colston Jr. Charles L. Harrison 5.5 F 1:08.60 $3,265
1909 Dalmatian 2 Vincent Powers Sam Hildreth Sam Hildreth 5.5 F 1:08.00 $1,230
1908 Fayette 2 Walter Miller John E. Madden John E. Madden 5.5 F 1:07.00 $7,700
1907 Firestone 2 Tommy Sandy Henry E. Rowell Thomas H. Williams 5.5 F 1:07.00 $7,700
1906 Ballot 2 Herman Radtke James G. Rowe Sr. James R. Keene 5.5 F 1:06.00 $7,700
1905 George C. Bennett 2 Dave Nicol William E. Phillips Frederick Cook 5.5 F 1:07.00 $7,700
1904 Song and Wine 2 Frank O'Neill Fred Burlew Newton Bennington 5.5 F 1:07.60 $7,700
1903 Aristocracy 2 Charles Connell John E. Madden John E. Madden 5.5 F 1:07.80 $5,110
1902 Mexican 2 Tommy Burns John E. Madden Clarence Mackay 5.5 F 1:06.20 $3,800
1901 Nasturtium 2 Winfield O'Connor James J. McLaughlin Anthony L. Aste 5.5 F 1:04.20 $3,800
1900 Tower of Candles 2 Carl Mitchell William M. Rogers J. M. Murphy 5.5 F 1:07.60 $3,825
1899 Prince of Melbourne 2 Frank O'Leary John E. Madden John E. Madden 5.5 F 1:08.40 $4,062
1898 Kingdon 2 Tod Sloan Hardy Campbell Jr. Michael F. Dwyer 5.5 F 1:09.00 $3,800
1897 Bowling Brook 2 Fred Littlefield R. Wyndham Walden John A. & Alfred H. Morris 5.5 F 1:09.20 $3,800
1896 Ornament 2 Alonzo Clayton Charles T. Patterson Charles T. Patterson 5.5 F 1:05.40 $3,950
1895 Handspring 2 Samuel Doggett Frank McCabe Philip J. Dwyer 5.5 F 1:06.40 $3,950
1894 Keenan 2 Henry Griffin John J. Hyland David Gideon 5.5 F 1:08.80 $3,750
1893 Hornpipe 2 Fred Taral William Lakeland James R. & Foxhall P. Keene 5.5 F 1:07.00 $3,900
1892 Ajax 2 Marty Bergen Charles Leighton Jacob Ruppert 5.5 F 1:07.40 $3,900
1891 His Highness 2 Marty Bergen John J. Hyland David Gideon 5.5 F 1:08.00 $3,800
1890 Russell 2 Edward Garrison R. Wyndham Walden John A. Morris & Sons 5.5 F 1:10.00 $3,900
1889 Torso 2 George (Spyder) Anderson Charles Leighton William L. Scott 5.5 F 1:09.00 $1,900

Part 2 winners

Year
 Winner
 Age
 Jockey
 Trainer
 Owner
 Dist.
(Furlongs) 		Time
 Win$
1910 Footprint 2 George Archibald John Whalen August Belmont Jr. 6 F 1:11.00 $3,765
1909 Lovetie 2 Eddie Dugan Matthew Feakes Lily A. Livingston 6 F 1:14.00 $1,285
1908 Sir Martin 2 James Lee John E. Madden John E. Madden 6 F 1:13.00 $7,700
1907 Stamina 2 George Mountain John W. Rogers Harry Payne Whitney 6 F 1:13.40 $7,700
1906 Water Pearl 2 Lucien Lyne A. Jack Joyner Sydney Paget & Edward R. Thomas 6 F 1:13.80 $7,700
1905 Ironsides 2 Jack Martin John Huggins Herman B. Duryea 6 F 1:14.00 $7,700
1904 Veto 2 Arthur Redfern James G. Rowe Sr. James R. Keene 6 F 1:14.00 $7,700
1903 Conjurer 2 George M. Odom Peter Wimmer Samuel S. Brown 6 F 1:11.00 $5,110
1902 Whitechapel 2 Willie Shaw James G. Rowe Sr. James R. Keene 6 F 1:14.60 $3,800
1901 Fly Wheel 2 Willie Shaw John E. Madden John E. Madden 6 F 1:12.20 $3,800
1900 Elkhorn 2 Nash Turner Sam Hildreth William C. Whitney 5.75 F 1:12.00 $3,825
1899 Mesmerist 2 Fred Taral Julius J. Bauer Bromley & Co. (Joseph E. Bromley & Arthur Featherstone) 5.75 F 1:12.40 $4,062
1898 Jean Bereaud 2 Tod Sloan Sam Hildreth Sydney Paget 5.75 F 1:12.20 $3,800
1897 Hamburg 2 Walter Wilhite John E. Madden John E. Madden 5.75 F 1:11.20 $3,800
1896 Ornament 2 Edward Garrison Charles T. Patterson Charles T. Patterson 5.75 F 1:12.00 $5,200
1895 Handspring 2 Samuel Doggett Frank McCabe Philip J. Dwyer 5.75 F 1:13.20 $4,900
1894 Cesarion 2 Samuel Doggett Byron McClelland Byron McClelland 5.75 F 1:12.00 $3,750
1893 Hornpipe 2 Edward Garrison William Lakeland James R. & Foxhall P. Keene 5.75 F 1:12.20 $4,900
1892 Corduroy 2 Fred Taral A. Jack Joyner August Belmont Jr. 5.75 F 1:13.40 $3,800
1891 Victory 2 Fred Taral William Lakeland William Lakeland 5.75 F 1:09.60 $3,900
1890 Russell 2 Fred Littlefield R. Wyndham Walden John A. & Alfred H. Morris 5.75 F 1:11.20 $5,000
1889 Torso 2 Jim McLaughlin Charles Leighton William L. Scott 5.75 F 1:16.40 $7,445

References

  1. ^ "Condensed History Of The Double Event: First Part (1889–1909)". Daily Racing Form. 1909-06-24. Retrieved 2019-01-03 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  2. ^ "Condensed History Of The Double Event. Second Half (1889–1908)". Daily Racing Form. 1908-07-07. Retrieved 2019-01-03 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  3. ^ "Latonia Form Chart – New York Form Chart". Daily Racing Form. 1910-06-18. Retrieved 2019-01-12 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  4. ^ "New York Form Chart". Daily Racing Form. 1910-07-05. Retrieved 2019-01-12 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  5. ^ "Penalties in the New York Bills". Daily Racing Form. 1908-01-18. Retrieved 2018-10-26 – via University of Kentucky Archives.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ "Keep Up Betting Ban". New York Times. 1908-09-01. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  7. ^ "Striking Falling off in Value of Ten Greatest Stakes". Daily Racing Form. 1910-07-16. Retrieved 2018-10-15 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  8. ^ "Race Track Bill Defeated In Senate; Measure Modifying Directors' Liability for Gambling Fails of Passage". The New York Times. July 14, 1911. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  9. ^ "Racing Through the Century". Thoroughbred Times. February 14, 2000. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  10. ^ "Destruction Wrought by Hughes". Daily Racing Form. 1908-12-15. Retrieved 2018-11-30 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
  11. ^ "Famous Old Track is Sold". Daily Racing Form. 1914-11-17. Retrieved 2018-11-30 – via University of Kentucky Archives.