The Flight Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race first run in 1887 at Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. A race for horses of either sex and of all ages, it was run on dirt over a distance of seven furlongs.
An annual event, the Flight Stakes was last run in September 1909 and was won by Jack Atkin. After the Republican controlled New York Legislature under Governor Charles Evans Hughes passed the Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation on June 11, 1908 with penalties allowing for fines and up to a year in prison. The owners of Sheepshead Bay Race Track, and other racing facilities in New York State, struggled to stay in business without betting. Racetrack operators had no choice but to drastically reduce the purse money being paid out which by 1909 saw the Flight Stakes offering a purse that was as little as one-fifth of what it had been in earlier years. 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. When a Court ruling saw racing return in 1913 it was too late for the Sheepshead Bay horse racing facility and it never reopened.
Records Speed record: (at current distance of 1-1/16) 1:40.29 – Heatherten (1984) (new race and track record)
Most wins: 2 – Kingston (1890, 1892) 2 – Clifford (1894, 1896) 2 – Hamburg Belle (1904, 1905) 2 – Roseben (1906, 1907)
Most wins by a jockey: 2 – Fred Littlefield (1889, 1898) 2 – Fred Taral (1892, 1896) 2 – Henry Griffin (1894, 1895) 2 – Henry Spencer (1899, 1901) 2 – Lucien Lyne (1904, 1906)
Most wins by a trainer: 3 – A. Jack Joyner (1904, 1905, 1908)
Most wins by an owner: 2 – Michael F. Dwyer (1890, 1892) 2 – H. Eugene Leigh (1894, 1896) 2 – William C. Whitney (1902, 1903) 2 – Sydney Paget for J. B. A. Haggin (1904, 1905)
Winners Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer Owner Dist. (Miles) Time Win$1909Jack Atkin5James ButwellJohn PowersBarney Schreiber 7 F1:26.00$1,0501908Baby Wolf4Eddie DuganA. Jack JoynerHarry P. Whitney7 F1:26.00$4,1801907Roseben6Willie KnappFrank D. WeirDavid C. Johnson7 F1:25.60$4,7801906Roseben5Lucien LyneFrank D. WeirLucien O. Appleby7 F1:26.20$5,2001905Hamburg Belle4Willie DavisA. Jack JoynerSydney Paget †7 F1:25.00$4,9851904Hamburg Belle3Lucien LyneA. Jack JoynerSydney Paget †7 F1:25.00$5,9251903Leonora Loring4Arthur RedfernJohn W. Rogers William C. Whitney7 F1:25.20$3,6001902Smoke5Tommy BurnsJohn E. MaddenWilliam C. Whitney7 F1:29.60$3,7501901Voter7Henry SpencerJames G. Rowe Sr.James R. Keene7 F1:27.40$3,3501900Heliobas4Winfield O'ConnorEdward L. GravesEdward L. Graves7 F1:26.60$2,8801899Bendoran4Henry SpencerWalter B. JenningsWalter B. Jennings7 F1:26.80$2,7401898The Friar4Fred LittlefieldR. Wyndham WaldenA. H. & D. H. Morris7 F1:28.00$2,1201897Requital4Alonzo ClaytonJames G. Rowe Sr.Lewis S. & William P. Thompson 7 F1:26.60$1,8751896Clifford6Fred TaralH. Eugene LeighH. Eugene Leigh7 F1:29.20$1,8751895Dorian4Henry GriffinByron McClellandBlemton Stable7 F1:27.40$1,8751894Clifford4Henry GriffinH. Eugene LeighH. Eugene Leigh & Robert L. Rose7 F1:23.40$2,9251893Dr. Hasbrouck5R. HarrisHenry HarrisWilliam M. Barrick7 F1:29.60$3,3501892Kingston8Fred TaralHardy Campbell Jr.Michael F. Dwyer7 F1:26.60$2,5251891Tenny5Shelby BarnesWilliam H. KarrickDavid T. Pulsifer & W. H. Karrick7 F1:27.60$2,2251890Kingston 6W. MartinHardy Campbell Jr.Michael F. Dwyer7 Fwalkover$3,1751889Britannic5Fred LittlefieldR. Wyndham WaldenJohn A. Morris7 F1:26.60$3,2501888Carroll2FreemanJoe Cotton7 F1:28.20$2,1751887Stuyvesant3Edward GarrisonJohn W. RogersSamuel S. Brown7 F1:28.00$3,050
† Hamburg Belle was always the property of James B. A. Haggin but as a convenience raced under the name of her manager, Sydney Paget.
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