Empire City Gold Cup

The Empire City Gold Cup was an American Thoroughbred horse race first run in 1947 and 1948 at Belmont Park then at Jamaica Race Course from 1949 through 1953 as a race created for horses age three and older. With its lucrative $100,000 purse, it was promoted as an international event in an effort to attract horses from Europe and South America. Run in October or early November it was contested on dirt at a distance of 1 5/8 miles which made it best suited for stayers.

Empire City Gold Cup
Discontinued stakes race
LocationBelmont Park, Elmont, New York (1947-1948)
Jamaica Race Course
Jamaica, New York (1949-1953)
Inaugurated1947 - 1953
Race typeThoroughbred - Flat racing
Race information
Distance1⅝ miles (13 furlongs)
TrackDirt, left-handed
QualificationThree-years-old & up
WeightAssigned
Purse$100,000 ($857,000 in 2019 - adjusted for inflation)

Winners and Losers

While a short-lived event, the Empire City Gold Cup attracted some of the best horses of the era. The inaugural race in 1947 was won by Stymie, a future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee who was voted #41 on the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century. Among the seven starters were two from South America.[1] The following year Citation came into the 1948 edition of the Empire City Gold Cup as that year's U.S. Triple Crown winner. Citation would be voted that year's U.S. Horse of the Year, become a Hall of Fame member, and be voted #3 on the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century.[2] 1952 winner One Count would also go on to earn American Horse of the Year honors that year. In its final running on October 31, 1953, Crafty Admiral, the American Champion Older Male Horse of 1952, won by 10 Lengths.[3]

Prominent horses beaten in the Empire City Gold Cup includes 1946 Triple Crown winner Assault was ran third behind winner Stymie and runnerup Natchez. Christopher Chenery's Hill Prince, the 1950 American Horse of the Year and a future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, ran second to Sonny Whitney's Counterpoint in the 1951 race. [4] Phalanx, the 1947 American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse and that year's Belmont Stakes winner was no match for Citation and finished second by two lengths.[5]

Records

Speed record:

  • 2:42 3/5 @ 1​5⁄8 miles (1947)

Most wins:

  • no horse won this race more than once

Most wins by a jockey:

Most wins by a trainer:

Most wins by an owner:

Winners
Year
 Winner
 Age
 Jockey
 Trainer
 Owner
 Dist.
(Miles)		 Time
 Purse
$100,000
1953 Crafty Admiral 5 William Boland Robert B. Odom Charfran Stable (Charles & Frances Cohen) 1​5⁄8 M 2:43.60 $100,000
1952 One Count 3 Dave Gorman Oscar White Sarah F. Jeffords 1​5⁄8 M 2:44.00 $100,000
1951 Counterpoint 3 Dave Gorman Sylvester E. Veitch Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney 1​5⁄8 M 2:42.80 $50,000
1950 Greek Ship 3 Eddie Arcaro Preston M. Burch Brookmeade Stable 1​5⁄8 M 2:43.80 $50,000
1949 Adile 3 Ted Atkinson Oscar White Sarah F. Jeffords 1​5⁄8 M 2:45.00 $50,000
1948 Citation 3 Eddie Arcaro Jimmy Jones Calumet Farm 1​5⁄8 M 2:42.80 $100,000
1947 Stymie 6 Conn McCreary Hirsch Jacobs Ethel D. Jacobs 1​5⁄8 M 2:42.60 $100,000
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References
  1. "Stymie Wins $100,000 Pot". Ottawa Journal (Ontario), page 14. 1947-07-21. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  2. "Citation Coasts To Easy Win In Empire City Gold Cup". Monroe Morning World (Monroe, Louisiana), page 10. 1948-10-17. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  3. "Admiral's Voyage (USA), 1959". Turf Data z.s. 2017-10-07. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  4. "Counterpoint Rates No. 1 Horse Of Year After Second Win Over Hill Prince". Times Record, Troy, New York, page 16. 1951-10-22. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  5. "Citation Coasts To Easy Win In Empire City Gold Cup". Monroe Morning World (Monroe, Louisiana), page 10. 1948-10-17. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
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