Municipal Handicap

{{Short description|American horse race}} {{Infobox horseraces | class = Discontinued stakes | horse race = Municipal Handicap | website = | image = | caption = | location = [[Morris Park Racecourse]], [[The Bronx]], [[New York (state)|New York]] (1895–1904) [[Belmont Park]], [[Elmont, New York]] (1905–1918) | inaugurated = 1895–1918 | race type = [[Thoroughbred]] – [[Flat racing]] | distance = {{frac|1|1|2}} miles (12 furlongs) | surface = Dirt | track = left-handed | qualification = Three-years-old & older | weight = | purse = | bonuses = }}

The '''Municipal Handicap''' was an American [[Thoroughbred racing|Thoroughbred horse race]] for horses of either sex age three and older. It was held at [[Morris Park Racecourse]] in [[The Bronx]], [[New York (state)|New York]] from inception in 1895 through 1904 when the racetrack closed. It was then run at the newly built [[Belmont Park]] from 1905 to 1909 then revived in 1914 and run until 1918 when the race was discontinued.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1908101001/drf1908101001_1_7 |title=Condensed History of the Municipal Handicap |work=Daily Racing Form|via=University of Kentucky Archives|date=1908-10-10 |accessdate=2019-02-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1915090201/drf1915090201_1_2 |title=Borrow in Front Again: Takes the Municipal Handicap |work=Daily Racing Form|via=University of Kentucky Archives|date=1915-09-02 |accessdate=2019-02-06}}</ref>

==Historical race notes== ===Ben Holladay's greatness=== Eastin & Larabie won this race three straight years from 1897 through 1899 with their outstanding distance runner [[Ben Holladay (horse)|Ben Holladay]] who won his first Municipal Handicap under jockey [[Alonzo Clayton]] in which he set a new world record time of {{frac|2:59|1|4}} for a mile and three-quarters. Ben Holladay's owner was a racing and breeding partnership created in 1886 between [[Montana]] banker and financier Samuel E. Larabie and Augustus Eastin, a wealthy [[Kentucky]] businessman.<ref>[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SG9FAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eLwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=900,3629968&dq=willow-run-stock-farm+larabie&hl=en Three Forks News – August 8, 1922]</ref> Following his 1899 season, the [[Wellington]] ''New Zealand Mail'' newspaper, reporting on racing in the United States, wrote that "Ben Holladay has proved himself this year to be by far the best long-distance horse in America" and quoting a front-page story in [[New York City]]'s ''[[Spirit of the Times]]'' said that he is described as "the greatest Cup horse of the decade."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/ |title=Turf Topics |publisher=The New Zealand Mail, page 20 |date=1899-01-12 |accessdate=2019-02-11 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

[[Henry of Navarre (horse)|Henry of Navarre]], [[Fair Play (horse)|Fair Play]] and [[Roamer (horse)|Roamer]] were winners of the Municipal Handicap who would have careers that resulted in their induction into the [[National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame|U.S. Racing Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/henry-navarre |title=Henry of Navarre |publisher=Racingmuseum.org |date=1985-01-01 |accessdate=2019-05-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/fair-play |title=Fair Play |publisher=Racingmuseum.org |date=1956-01-01 |accessdate=2019-05-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/roamer |title=Roamer |publisher=Racingmuseum.org |date=1981-01-01 |accessdate=2019-05-13}}</ref>

==The Hart–Agnew Law: a disaster for racing== On June 11, 1908, the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]-controlled [[New York Legislature]] under [[Governor of New York|Governor]] [[Charles Evans Hughes]] passed the [[Hart–Agnew Law|Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation]] with penalties allowing for fines and up to a year in prison.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1908011801/drf1908011801_1_7 |title=Penalties in the New York Bills |work=Daily Racing Form|via=University of Kentucky Archives|date=1908-01-18|accessdate=2018-10-26}}</ref>

In spite of strong opposition by prominent owners such as [[August Belmont, Jr.]] and [[Harry Payne Whitney]], reform legislators were not happy when they learned that betting was still going on at racetracks between individuals and they had further restrictive legislation passed by the New York Legislature in 1910 <ref>{{cite web|url=https://therail.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/the-first-american-triple-crown-series/|title=The First American Triple Crown Series|first=Bennett|last=Liebman|date=May 24, 2009|website=The Rail|access-date=September 2, 2017}}</ref> that made it possible for racetrack owners and members of its [[board of directors]] to be fined and imprisoned if anyone was found betting, even privately, anywhere on their premises. After a 1911 amendment to the law to limit the liability of owners and directors was defeated,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1911/07/14/archives/race-track-bill-defeated-in-senate-measure-modifying-directors.html|title=Race Track Bill Defeated In Senate; Measure Modifying Directors' Liability for Gambling Fails of Passage|work=The New York Times|date=July 14, 1911|publisher=|access-date=September 2, 2017}}</ref> every racetrack in New York State shut down. The consequences of this law meant the Municipal Handicap was not run from 1910 through 1913.

==Records== '''Speed record:''' * 2:57 0/0 @ {{frac|1|3|4}} miles, Major Daingerfield (1903) * 2:33 2/5 @ {{frac|1|1|2}} miles, Sunny Slope (1918) * 2:04 0/0 @ {{frac|1|1|4}} miles, [[Roamer (horse)|Roamer]] (1914)

'''Most wins:''' * 3 – [[Ben Holladay (horse)|Ben Holladay]] (1897, 1898, 1899)

'''Most wins by a [[jockey]]:''' * 3 – [[George M. Odom]] (1900, 1902, 1903) * 3 – [[Willie Knapp (jockey)|Willie Knapp]] (1905, 1906, 1907)

'''Most wins by a [[Horse trainer|trainer]]:''' * 3 – [[Peter Wimmer]] (1897, 1898, 1899)

'''Most wins by an owner:''' * 3 – Augustus Eastin & Samuel E. Larabie (1897, 1898, 1899)

==Winners== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%" |- ! style="width:30px" | Year ! style="width:110px" | Winner ! style="width:30px" | Age ! style="width:110px" | Jockey ! style="width:125px" | Trainer ! Owner ! style="width:25px" | Dist. ([[Mile]]s) ! style="width:25px" | Time ! style="width:25px" | Win$ |- |align=center|1918 |Sunny Slope |align=center|3 |[[John Callahan (jockey)|John Callahan]] |[[Richard F. Carman]] |Beach Stable (Richard F. Carman, et al.) |align=center|1{{Frac|1|2}} M |align=center|2:33.40 |align=center|$2,150 |- |align=center|1917 |Clematis |align=center|4 |[[Merritt C. Buxton]] |John Whalen |Oscar Lewisohn |align=center|1{{Frac|1|2}} M |align=center|2:34.00 |align=center|$2,325 |- |align=center|1916 |[[Stromboli (horse)|Stromboli]] |align=center|5 |[[John McTaggart (jockey)|John McTaggart]] |[[Sam Hildreth]] |[[August Belmont Jr.]] |align=center|1{{Frac|1|2}} M |align=center|2:39.00 |align=center|$2,175 |- |align=center|1915 |Borrow |align=center|7 |[[Joe Notter]] |[[James G. Rowe Sr.]] |[[Sunny Hill Plantation#Lewis S. Thompson|Lewis S. Thompson]] |align=center|1{{Frac|1|4}} M |align=center|2:05.00 |align=center|$1,875 |- |align=center|1914 |[[Roamer (horse)|Roamer]] |align=center|3 |[[James H. Butwell|James Butwell]] |[[Andrew Jackson Goldsborough|A. J. Goldsborough]] |[[Andrew Miller (publisher)|Andrew Miller]] |align=center|1{{Frac|1|4}} M |align=center|2:04.00 |align=center|$2,150 |- bgcolor="#eeeeee" |align=center|1913 |align=center colspan=8| ''Race not held'' |- style="background:#eee;" |align=center|1912 | rowspan="2" colspan="8" style="text-align:center;"| ''No races held due to the [[Hart–Agnew Law]].'' |- style="background:#eee;" |align=center|1911

|- bgcolor="#eeeeee" |align=center|1910 |align=center colspan=8| ''Race not held'' |- |align=center|1909 |[[Olambala]] |align=center|3 |James Butwell |[[T. J. Healey]] |[[Richard Thornton Wilson Jr.|Montpelier Stable]] |align=center|1{{Frac|3|4}} M |align=center|2:58.60 |align=center|$1,060 |- |align=center|1908 |[[Fair Play (horse)|Fair Play]] |align=center|3 |[[James Lee (jockey)|James Lee]] |[[A. Jack Joyner]] |August Belmont Jr. |align=center|1{{Frac|3|4}} M |align=center|2:58.00 |align=center|$3,525 |- |align=center|1907 |[[Nealon (horse)|Nealon]] |align=center|4 |[[Willie Knapp]] |[[Frank M. Taylor]] |Patchogue Stable (William H. DuBois) |align=center|1{{Frac|3|4}} M |align=center|2:58.80 |align=center|$3,945 |- |align=center|1906 |Dishabille |align=center|4 |Willie Knapp |Charles A. Mulholland |George C. Bennett |align=center|1{{Frac|3|4}} M |align=center|2:57.60 |align=center|$3,230 |- |align=center|1905 |St. Bellane |align=center|3 |Willie Knapp |Richard E. Watkins |[[Edward Russell Thomas|Edward R. Thomas]] |align=center|1{{Frac|3|4}} M |align=center|2:59.60 |align=center|$2,820 |- |align=center|1904 |[[Gunfire (horse)|Gunfire]] |align=center|5 |[[Willie Shaw (jockey)|Willie Shaw]] |[[John W. Rogers (racehorse trainer)|John W. Rogers]] |[[Herman B. Duryea]] |align=center|1{{Frac|3|4}} M |align=center|2:59.50 |align=center|$2,850 |- |align=center|1903 |Major Daingerfield |align=center|4 |[[George M. Odom]] |[[John E. Madden]] |William B. Leeds Sr. & [[Andrew Miller (publisher)|Andrew Miller]] |align=center|1{{Frac|3|4}} M |align=center|2:57.00 |align=center|$2,805 |- |align=center|1902 |Advance Guard |align=center|5 |George M. Odom |Alexander Shields |Alexander Shields & James Carruthers |align=center|1{{Frac|3|4}} M |align=center|3:00.00 |align=center|$2,730 |- |align=center|1901 |Latson |align=center|6 |[[Otto Wonderly]] |John Hynes |Gottfried Walbaum |align=center|1{{Frac|3|4}} M |align=center|2:58.50 |align=center|$3,495 |- |align=center|1900 |[[Ethelbert (horse)|Ethelbert]] |align=center|4 |George M. Odom |A. Jack Joyner |[[Perry Belmont]] |align=center|1{{Frac|3|4}} M |align=center|2:58.50 |align=center|$3,125 |- |align=center|1899 |[[Ben Holladay (horse)|Ben Holladay]] |align=center|6 |[[Henry Spencer (jockey)|Henry Spencer]] |[[Peter Wimmer]] |Augustus Eastin & Samuel E. Larabie |align=center|1{{Frac|3|4}} M |align=center|3:00.50 |align=center|$3,325 |- |align=center|1898 |Ben Holladay |align=center|5 |[[Thomas H. Burns|Tommy Burns]] |Peter Wimmer |Augustus Eastin & Samuel E. Larabie |align=center|1{{Frac|3|4}} M |align=center|3:01.50 |align=center|$2,750 |- |align=center|1897 |Ben Holladay |align=center|4 |[[Alonzo Clayton]] |Peter Wimmer |Augustus Eastin & Samuel E. Larabie |align=center|1{{Frac|3|4}} M |align=center|2:59.25 |align=center|$2,250 |- |align=center|1896 |[[Sir Walter]] |align=center|6 |[[Samuel Doggett]] |[[Walter C. Rollins]] |[[Harry K. Knapp#Oneck Stable|Oneck Stable]] |align=center|1{{Frac|3|4}} M |align=center|3:05.00 |align=center|$1,950 |- |align=center|1895 |[[Henry of Navarre (horse)|Henry of Navarre]] |align=center|4 |[[Henry F. Griffin|Henry Griffin]] |[[John Hyland (horse trainer)|John J. Hyland]] |[[August Belmont Jr.|Blemton Stable]] |align=center|1{{Frac|3|4}} M |align=center|3:02.00 |align=center|$2,400 |- |}

==References== {{reflist}}

[[Category:Discontinued horse races in New York City]] [[Category:Morris Park Racecourse]] [[Category:Belmont Park]] [[Category:Open middle distance horse races]] [[Category:Open long distance horse races]] [[Category:Horse races established in 1895]] [[Category:Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1918]] [[Category:1895 establishments in New York City]] [[Category:1918 disestablishments in New York (state)]] [[Category:Sports competitions in the Bronx]]