{{Infobox horseraces | class = Discontinued stakes | horse race = Spindrift Stakes | image = | caption = | location = [[Sheepshead Bay Race Track]]<br>[[Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn]], [[New York (state)|New York]], United States | inaugurated = 1885 | race type = [[Thoroughbred]] – [[Flat racing]] | website = | distance = {{convert|1+1/8|mi|furlong km}} | surface = Dirt | track = Left-handed | qualification = Three-year-olds | weight = Assigned | purse = | bonuses = }} The '''Spindrift Stakes''' was an American [[Thoroughbred horse race]] run annually between 1885 and 1909 at [[Sheepshead Bay Race Track]] at [[Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn]], New York City. A race for three-year-olds, it was contested on dirt over a distance of {{convert|1+1/4|mi|furlong km}} from 1885 to 1892 and at {{convert|1+1/8|mi|furlong km}} from 1893 through 1909.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1909070701/drf1909070701_4_1 |title= New York Entries and Past Performances |work=Daily Racing Form|via=University of Kentucky Archives|date=1909-07-07 |accessdate=2019-07-28}}</ref>
The inaugural running took place on July 11, 1885, and was won by St. Augustine, a John Alcock trained colt owned by [[George L. Lorillard|George Lorillard]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://archive.org/details/bresports67unse/page/n5 |title= The Good-Bye and Spindrift |publisher=Breeder and Sportsman |date=1885-07-11 |accessdate=2019-07-14}}</ref> The final running of the Spindrift took place on July 7, 1909, and was won by the [[Oneck Stable]]'s Fashion Plate, trained by [[William H. Karrick|William Karrick]].<ref>{{cite news|url= http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9803E2DF1F31E733A2575BC0A9619C946897D6CF |title=Maskette Easily Wins The Mermaid |newspaper=New York Times |date=1909-07-08 |accessdate=2019-08-01}}</ref>
==The 1911–1912 statewide shutdown of horse 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]].<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> The owners of Sheepshead Bay Race Track, and other racing facilities in New York State, struggled to stay in business without income from betting.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1908/09/01/archives/keep-up-betting-ban-strict-enforcement-of-the-law-at-sheepshead-bay.html |title=Keep Up Betting Ban |newspaper=New York Times |date=1908-09-01 |accessdate=2018-11-06}}</ref> Racetrack operators had no choice but to drastically reduce the [[Purse distribution|purse money]] being paid out which resulted in the Spindrift Stakes offering a purse in 1909 that was nearly one-tenth of what it had been in earlier years. These small purses made horse racing 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1908081101/drf1908081101_1_6 |title=Coney Island Clubs Sturdy Stand |work=Daily Racing Form|via=University of Kentucky Archives|date=1908-08-11 |accessdate=2019-02-03}}</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> The [[Agnew–Perkins Law]], a series of four bills and recorded as the Executive Liability Act, 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1910/04/07/archives/racing-men-attack-antibetting-bills-place-every-man-who-makes.html |title=Racing Men Attack Anti-Betting Bills – Place Every Man Who Makes Private Wager in Jeopardy |newspaper=New York Times |date=1910-04-07 |accessdate=2019-06-29}}</ref> After a 1911 amendment to the law that would limit the liability of owners and directors was defeated in the Legislature, every racetrack in New York State shut down.<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> As a result, after 1909 the Spindrift Stakes was never run again.
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 [[Eclipse Award|Champions]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/weekly-feature-articles/2000/February/14/Racing-Through-the-Century-1911-1920.aspx|title=Thoroughbred Times|author=|date=February 14, 2000|website=www.ThoroughbredTimes.com|access-date=September 2, 2017}}</ref> When a February 21, 1913 ruling by the [[New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division]] Court saw horse racing return in 1913.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1913022201/drf1913022201_1_9 |title= Oral Betting Held Legal: Appellate Division of New York Supreme Court Renders Important Decision |work=Daily Racing Form|via=University of Kentucky Archives|date=1913-02-22 |accessdate=2019-06-29}}</ref> However, it was too late for the Sheepshead Bay horse racing facility and it never reopened.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1908121501/drf1908121501_1_7|title=Destruction Wrought by Hughes |work=Daily Racing Form|via=University of Kentucky Archives|date=1908-12-15|accessdate=2018-11-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1914111701/drf1914111701_1_2 |title=Famous Old Track is Sold |work=Daily Racing Form|via=University of Kentucky Archives|date=1914-11-17|accessdate=2018-11-30}}</ref>
==Records== '''Speed record:''' * 1:51.80 – Fashion Plate (1909) at {{convert|1+1/8|mi|furlong km}} * 2:09.40 – Sir John (1890) at {{convert|1+1/4|mi|furlong km}}
'''Most wins by a [[jockey]]:''' * 2 – [[Henry Spencer (jockey)|Henry Spencer]] (1899, 1900)
'''Most wins by a [[Horse trainer|trainer]]:''' * 4 – [[James G. Rowe Sr.]] (1888, 1903, 1906, 1907)
'''Most wins by an owner:''' * 2 – [[Dwyer Brothers Stable]] (1887, 1890) * 2 – [[Samuel S. Brown]] & [[John W. Rogers (horse trainer)|John W. Rogers]] (1892, 1893) * 2 – [[James R. Keene]] (1906, 1907)
==Winners== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%" |- ! style="width:30px" | Year<br> ! style="width:110px" | Winner<br> ! style="width:20px" | Age<br> ! style="width:110px" | Jockey<br> ! style="width:120px" | Trainer<br> ! Owner<br> ! style="width:25px" | Dist.<br> <span style="font-size:70%">([[Mile]]s)</span> ! style="width:25px" | Time<br> ! style="width:25px" | Win$ |- |align=center|1909 |Fashion Plate |align=center|3 |Henry Smith |[[William H. Karrick]] |[[Oneck Stable]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:51.80 |align=center|$495 |- |align=center|1908 |Firestone |align=center|3 |[[Walter Miller (jockey)|Walter Miller]] |Dr. H. E. Rowell |Thomas H. Williams |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:53.20 |align=center|$3,890 |- |align=center|1907 |Cabochon |align=center|3 |Mr. Lowe |[[James G. Rowe Sr.]] |[[James R. Keene]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:53.40 |align=center|$4,410 |- |align=center|1906 |Kuroki |align=center|3 |[[Willie Shaw]] |[[James G. Rowe Sr.]] |[[James R. Keene]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:53.80 |align=center|$4,215 |- |align=center|1905 |Oiseau |align=center|3 |[[Frank O'Neill (jockey)|Frank O'Neill]] |[[Matthew M. Allen]] |[[Diamond Jim Brady]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:53.60 |align=center|$3,700 |- |align=center|1904 |[[Highball (horse)|Highball]] |align=center|3 |[[George M. Odom|George Odom]] |[[John W. May]] |Walter M. Scheftel |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:54.00 |align=center|$4,215 |- |align=center|1903 |Injunction |align=center|3 |[[Willie Gannon]] |[[James G. Rowe Sr.]] |[[Foxhall P. Keene]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:52.80 |align=center|$3,270 |- |align=center|1902 |Ranald |align=center|3 |[[Otto Wonderly]] |[[Charles S. Littlefield Jr.]] |[[James B. A. Haggin]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:54.20 |align=center|$3,000 |- |align=center|1901 |[[Gold Heels]] |align=center|3 |[[Winfield O'Connor]] |[[Matthew M. Allen]] |[[Diamond Jim Brady]] & Fred C. McLewee |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:52.40 |align=center|$1,870 |- |align=center|1900 |Prince of Melbourne |align=center|3 |[[Henry Spencer (jockey)|Henry Spencer]] |J. A. Kyle |Col. Frank D. Beard |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:53.60 |align=center|$2,150 |- |align=center|1899 |[[Ethelbert (horse)|Ethelbert]] |align=center|3 |[[Henry Spencer (jockey)|Henry Spencer]] |[[A. Jack Joyner]] |[[Perry Belmont]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:55.40 |align=center|$1,380 |- |align=center|1898 |Sailor King |align=center|3 |[[Danny Maher]] |[[Walter B. Jennings]] |[[Walter B. Jennings]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:55.40 |align=center|$1,490 |- |align=center|1897 |On Deck |align=center|3 |[[Fred Taral]] |[[Julius Bauer]] |Bromley & Co. (Joseph E. Bromley & Arthur Featherstone) |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:56.40 |align=center|$1,450 |- |align=center|1896 |Formal |align=center|3 |[[Fred Littlefield]] |[[R. Wyndham Walden]] |[[Alfred Hennen Morris|Alfred]] & [[David Hennen Morris|David Morris]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:56.00 |align=center|$1,400 |- |align=center|1895 |Bright Phoebus |align=center|3 |[[Lester Reiff]] |[[Charles S. Littlefield Jr.]] |Del Monte Stable |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:57.20 |align=center|$1,450 |- |align=center|1894 |[[Henry of Navarre (horse)|Henry of Navarre]] |align=center|3 |[[Samuel J. Doggett|Samuel Doggett]] |[[Byron McClelland]] |[[Byron McClelland]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:56.20 |align=center|$1,950 |- |align=center|1893 |Glenmoyne |align=center|3 |[[Willie Simms]] |[[John W. Rogers (horse trainer)|John W. Rogers]] |[[Samuel S. Brown]] & [[John W. Rogers (horse trainer)|John W. Rogers]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|8}}</span> |1:54.80 |align=center|$1,740 |- |align=center|1892 |Pickpocket |align=center|3 |[[Fred Taral]] |[[John W. Rogers (horse trainer)|John W. Rogers]] |[[Samuel S. Brown]] & [[John W. Rogers (horseman)|John W. Rogers]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|4}}</span> |2:11.40 |align=center|$1,715 |- |align=center|1891 |Potomac |align=center|3 |[[Anthony Hamilton (jockey)|Anthony Hamilton]] |[[Hardy Campbell Jr.]] |[[Michael F. Dwyer]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|4}}</span> |2:11.00 |align=center|$1,975 |- |align=center|1890 |[[Sir John (horse)|Sir John]] |align=center|3 |[[Marty Bergen (jockey)|Marty Bergen]] |[[Frank McCabe (horse trainer)|Frank McCabe]] |[[Dwyer Brothers Stable]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|4}}</span> |2:09.40 |align=center|$1,860 |- |align=center|1889 |My Fellow |align=center|3 |[[William Donohue (horseman)|William Donohue]] |[[Charles S. Littlefield Sr.]] |[[Charles S. Littlefield Sr.]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|4}}</span> |2:10.20 |align=center|$2,200 |- |align=center|1888 |[[Raceland (horse)|Raceland]] |align=center|3 |P. Godfrey |[[James G. Rowe Sr.]] |[[August Belmont]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|4}}</span> |2:12.00 |align=center|$3,250 |- |align=center|1887 |[[Hanover (thoroughbred horse)|Hanover]] |align=center|3 |[[Jim McLaughlin (jockey)|Jim McLaughlin]] |[[Frank McCabe (horse trainer)|Frank McCabe]] |[[Dwyer Brothers Stable]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|4}}</span> |2:11.25 |align=center|$3,300 |- |align=center|1886 |[[The Bard (American horse)|The Bard]] |align=center|3 |John Fisher |[[John Huggins (horseman)|John Huggins]] |[[Alexander J. Cassatt|Mr. Kelso]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|4}}</span> |2:09.25 |align=center|$3,925 |- |align=center|1885 |St. Augustine |align=center|3 |[[Harry Blaylock]] |John Alcock |[[George L. Lorillard]] |align=center|1<span style="font-size:80%">{{Frac|1|4}}</span> |2:11.75 |align=center|$4,625 |- |}
==References== {{reflist}}
[[Category:Discontinued horse races in New York City]] [[Category:Sheepshead Bay Race Track]] [[Category:Horse races established in 1886]] [[Category:Recurring events disestablished in 1909]] [[Category:1886 establishments in New York (state)]] [[Category:1909 disestablishments in New York (state)]]