Islip Handicap

The Islip Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually from 1899 through 1907 at New York's Brighton Beach Race Course then for a final time in 1910 with a drastically reduced purse at Empire City Race Track in Yonkers, New York. A race for horses age three and older, it was contested on dirt over a distance of one mile for the first two runnings then at a mile and one-eighth for the remainder.

Islip Handicap

Discontinued stakes race
Location	Brighton Beach Race Course, Brighton Beach, New York (1899–1909) Empire City Race Track in Yonkers, New York (1910)
Inaugurated	1899
Race type	Thoroughbred – Flat racing
Race information
Distance	​1 ^1⁄8 miles (9 furlongs)
Surface	Dirt
Track	Left-handed
Qualification	Three-years-old & up

Historical notes

The filly Imp won the 1899 inaugural running of the Islip Handicap. She would go on to earn recognition as that year's American Horse of the Year and induction into the U. S. Racing Hall of Fame in 1965.[1]

In winning the 1902 edition, Bonnibert broke the Brighton Beach track record for the mile and one-eighth with a time of 1:51 flat.[2]

End of a Race and of a Racetrack

The Brighton Beach Race Course prospered until 1908 when the New York Legislature passed the Hart–Agnew Law banning gambling in New York State.[3][4][5] Motor racing events were held at the facility in an attempt to keep the track from closing permanently but even after horse racing returned to New York it was too late to save the business.

At the time it ceased horse racing operations, the Brighton Beach Race Course was the oldest horse track in steady use in the New York City area.[6]

Records

Speed record:

• 1:51.00 @ ​1 ¹⁄₈ miles: Bonnibert (1902) (track tecord)

Most wins:

• No horse won this race more than once

Most wins by a jockey:

• No jockey won this race more than once

Most wins by a trainer:

• 2 – Thomas Welsh (1901, 1902)

Most wins by an owner:

• 2 – Charles Fleischman's Sons

Winners

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Dist. (Miles)	Time	Win $
1910	Restigouche	5	Carroll Shilling	Sam Hildreth	Sam Hildreth	​1 ^1⁄8 mi	1:53.20	$925
1908	– 1909	Race not held due to the ramifications of the Hart-Agnew Law
1907	Far West	5	Joe Notter	John Miller	Morton L. Schwartz	​1 ^1⁄8 mi	1:53.00	$2,355
1906	Dishabille	4	Roscoe Troxler	Charles A. Mulholland	George C. Bennett	​1 ^1⁄8 mi	1:54.00	$2,800
1905	Hermis	6	Arthur Redfern	Alexander Shields	Alexander Shields	​1 ^1⁄8 mi	1:52.00	$2,525
1904	Dainty	4	Gene Hildebrand	Walter B. Jennings	Walter B. Jennings	​1 ^1⁄8 mi	1:51.60	$2,845
1903	Golden Maxim	3	Harry Cochran	James J. McLaughlin	J. P. Kramer	​1 ^1⁄8 mi	1:53.20	$2,445
1902	Bonnibert	4	Jack Martin	Thomas Welsh	Charles Fleischman's Sons	​1 ^1⁄8 mi	1:51.00	$1,740
1901	Blues	3	Willie Shaw	Thomas Welsh	Charles Fleischman's Sons	​1 ^1⁄8 mi	1:52.00	$2,170
1900	Ethelbert	4	Nash Turner	A. Jack Joyner	Perry Belmont	1 mi	1:40.00	$2,055
1899	Imp	5	Peter Clay	Charles E. Brossman	Daniel R. Harness	1 mi	1:40.60	$1,815

References

1. "Condensed History of the Islip Handicap". Daily Racing Form. 1910-07-17. Retrieved 2020-11-02 – via University of Kentucky Archives.
2. "Bonnibert, Islip Handicap, Made a Wonderful Performance". Richmond Times, page 2. 1902-07-31. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
3. Rhode, Paul W.; Strumpf, Koleman (October 2008), Historical Political Futures Markets: An International Perspective (PDF), National Bureau of Economic Research, archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-11, retrieved 2010-01-16
4. "Brighton to Try Turf Experiment; Purse Programmes Will Test Popularity of Racing Under New Conditions". The New York Times. July 6, 1908. p. 5. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
5. "Won't Sell Brighton Track; William Engeman Denies Reports that Negotiations Are Pending". The New York Times. August 10, 1908. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
6. "Crowd at Harness Races; Brighton Trotting Meeting Opened with Fine Sport". The New York Times. August 14, 1891. p. 5. Retrieved 2010-01-16.