| Class | Discontinued stakes |
|---|---|
| Location | Sheepshead Bay Race Track Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York,United States |
| Inaugurated | 1887–1909 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 7 furlongs (7/8 mile) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | All ages |
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. [1]
An annual event, the Flight Stakes was last run in September 1909 and was won by Jack Atkin. [2] 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. [3] The owners of Sheepshead Bay Race Track, and other racing facilities in New York State, struggled to stay in business without betting. [4] 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. [5] 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.
Speed record: (at current distance of 1-1/16)
Most wins:
Most wins by a jockey:
Most wins by a trainer:
Most wins by an owner:
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Dist. (Miles) | Time | Win$ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 | Jack Atkin | 5 | James Butwell | John Powers | Barney Schreiber | 7 F | 1:26.00 | $1,050 |
| 1908 | Baby Wolf | 4 | Eddie Dugan | A. Jack Joyner | Harry P. Whitney | 7 F | 1:26.00 | $4,180 |
| 1907 | Roseben | 6 | Willie Knapp | Frank D. Weir | David C. Johnson | 7 F | 1:25.60 | $4,780 |
| 1906 | Roseben | 5 | Lucien Lyne | Frank D. Weir | Lucien O. Appleby | 7 F | 1:26.20 | $5,200 |
| 1905 | Hamburg Belle | 4 | Willie Davis | A. Jack Joyner | Sydney Paget † | 7 F | 1:25.00 | $4,985 |
| 1904 | Hamburg Belle | 3 | Lucien Lyne | A. Jack Joyner | Sydney Paget † | 7 F | 1:25.00 | $5,925 |
| 1903 | Leonora Loring | 4 | Arthur Redfern | John W. Rogers | William C. Whitney | 7 F | 1:25.20 | $3,600 |
| 1902 | Smoke | 5 | Tommy Burns | John E. Madden | William C. Whitney | 7 F | 1:29.60 | $3,750 |
| 1901 | Voter | 7 | Henry Spencer | James G. Rowe Sr. | James R. Keene | 7 F | 1:27.40 | $3,350 |
| 1900 | Heliobas | 4 | Winfield O'Connor | Edward L. Graves | Edward L. Graves | 7 F | 1:26.60 | $2,880 |
| 1899 | Bendoran | 4 | Henry Spencer | Walter B. Jennings | Walter B. Jennings | 7 F | 1:26.80 | $2,740 |
| 1898 | The Friar | 4 | Fred Littlefield | R. Wyndham Walden | A. H. & D. H. Morris | 7 F | 1:28.00 | $2,120 |
| 1897 | Requital | 4 | Alonzo Clayton | James G. Rowe Sr. | Lewis S. & William P. Thompson | 7 F | 1:26.60 | $1,875 |
| 1896 | Clifford | 6 | Fred Taral | H. Eugene Leigh | H. Eugene Leigh | 7 F | 1:29.20 | $1,875 |
| 1895 | Dorian | 4 | Henry Griffin | Byron McClelland | Blemton Stable | 7 F | 1:27.40 | $1,875 |
| 1894 | Clifford | 4 | Henry Griffin | H. Eugene Leigh | H. Eugene Leigh & Robert L. Rose | 7 F | 1:23.40 | $2,925 |
| 1893 | Dr. Hasbrouck | 5 | R. Harris | Henry Harris | William M. Barrick | 7 F | 1:29.60 | $3,350 |
| 1892 | Kingston | 8 | Fred Taral | Hardy Campbell Jr. | Michael F. Dwyer | 7 F | 1:26.60 | $2,525 |
| 1891 | Tenny | 5 | Shelby Barnes | William H. Karrick | David T. Pulsifer & W. H. Karrick | 7 F | 1:27.60 | $2,225 |
| 1890 | Kingston | 6 | W. Martin | Hardy Campbell Jr. | Michael F. Dwyer | 7 F | walkover | $3,175 |
| 1889 | Britannic | 5 | Fred Littlefield | R. Wyndham Walden | John A. Morris | 7 F | 1:26.60 | $3,250 |
| 1888 | Carroll | 2 | Freeman | Joe Cotton | 7 F | 1:28.20 | $2,175 | |
| 1887 | Stuyvesant | 3 | Edward Garrison | John W. Rogers | Samuel S. Brown | 7 F | 1:28.00 | $3,050 |