Sysonby Handicap

Sysonby Handicap

Class	Discontinued stakes
Location	Belmont Park Elmont, New York, United States
Inaugurated	1946
Race type	Thoroughbred - Flat racing
Race information
Surface	Dirt
Track	left-handed
Qualification	Three years old & up
Weight	weight-for-age

The Sysonby Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race first run in 1946 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Placed on hiatus after the 1959 edition, the race was revived in 1967 at Aqueduct Racetrack where it was run one last time. An event for horses of either sex age three and older, it was run on dirt over a distance of a mile through 1958 then the following year increased to a mile and a quarter. For the final running in 1967 it became a sprint race of seven furlongs. ^[1]

The race was named in honor of U. S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Sysonby who was selected #30 - Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century. ^[2]

Historical race notes

Lucky Draw won the 1946 inaugural running in a year in which he set six track records including equaling a World record. ^[3] He won the Sysonby by 10 lengths and although it was run over a muddy racetrack, it was still in a fast time. ^[4]

Other notable Sysonby Handicap winners were four American Horse of the Year and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductees Armed, Triple Crown winner Citation, and Tom Fool. ^{[5] [6] [7]} In addition, Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Arise won this race. ^[8]

Records

Speed record:

• 1:35.00 @ 1 mile : Cohoes (1958)

Most wins:

• Tom Fool (1952, 1953)
• High Gun (1954, 1955)

Most wins by a jockey:

• 3 - Ted Atkinson (1949, 1952, 1953)

Most wins by a trainer:

• 4 - John M. Gaver Sr. (1949, 1952, 1953, 1958)

Most wins by an owner:

• 4 - Greentree Stable (1949, 1952, 1953, 1958)

Winners

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Dist. (Furlongs)	Time
1967	R. Thomas	6	Jimmy Nichols	David Erb	Roger W. Wilson	7 F	1:26.00
1960	- 1966	Race not held
1959	The Irishman	3	Bobby Ussery	James E. Fitzsimmons	Wheatley Stable	10 F	2:02.00
1958	Cohoes	4	John Ruane	John M. Gaver Sr.	Greentree Stable	8 F	1:35.00
1957	Tick Tock	3	Bill Boland	Edward A. Christmas	Howell E. Jackson	8 F	1:36.20
1956	Jet Action	5	Walter Blum	Lawrence W. Kidd	Maine Chance Farm	8 F	1:35.20
1955	High Gun	4	Bill Boland	Max Hirsch	King Ranch	9 F	1:49.20
1954	High Gun	3	Eddie Arcaro	Max Hirsch	King Ranch	8 F	1:36.60
1953	Tom Fool	4	Ted Atkinson	John M. Gaver Sr.	Greentree Stable	8 F	1:36.80
1952	Tom Fool	3	Ted Atkinson	John M. Gaver Sr.	Greentree Stable	8 F	1:36.40
1951	Miche	6	Conn McCreary	Eddie Hayward	Muriel Vanderbilt Adams	8 F	1:35.40
1950	Arise	4	Douglas Dodson	James C. Bentley	Addison Stable (Harry Addison)	8 F	1:36.40
1949	Capot	3	Ted Atkinson	John M. Gaver Sr.	Greentree Stable	8 F	1:35.60
1948	Citation	3	Eddie Arcaro	Jimmy Jones	Calumet Farm	8 F	1:36.00
1947	Armed	6	Albert Snider	Jimmy Jones	Calumet Farm	8 F	1:36.00
1946	Lucky Draw	5	Conn McCreary	Bert Mulholland	George D. Widener Jr.	8 F	1:35.60

References

1. "A cold, Bitter Day for Chalk Players as Big A closes". New York Daily News. 1967-12-16. Retrieved 2019-01-01.
2. Thoroughbred Champions: Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century. Blood Horse Publications. 2000-10-25. ISBN   9781581500240. Archived from the original on 2013-12-31. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
3. "Lucky Draw Sets His Sixth Track Record of Year in Atlantic City Triumph". New York Times. 1946-10-06. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
4. "Lucky Draw Wins Sysonby Handicap". Reno Nevada Gazette-Journal, Page 9. 1946-10-12. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
5. "Armed Sets Record With Belmont Victory". New York Daily News. 1947-10-10. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
6. "Citation unmatched for 25 years". ESPN.com. 2003-11-19. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
7. "Tom Fool". Racingmuseum.org. 1960-01-01. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
8. "Arise". Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. 1983-12-02. Retrieved 2019-05-21.