| Location | Empire City Race Track, Yonkers, New York, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1908 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 5.5 furlongs |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Two-year-olds |
| Purse | $4,000 added |
The Whirl Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Empire City Race Track in Yonkers, New York. First run in 1908, it was created as a contest for three-year-old horses at a distance of one mile on dirt. Following the track's closure from 1911 through 1913 due to the passage of the Hart-Agnew Law by the New York State Legislature, there was no racing in New York state in 1911, 1912, and 1913. [1] The Whirl Stakes returned in 1914 as a sprint race for two-year-old horses at a distance of five and a half furlongs. By 1925 the Whirl Stakes had become one of the Empire City Race Track's richest and most important races of its type run during its summer meet. [2]
Friar Rock, a colt ridden by Clarence Turner, won the 1915 running in track record time. [3]
In 1930 Vander Pool won what turned out to be the final edition of the Whirl Stakes. The victory marked the undefeated colt's ninth career win in a row and would keep his win streak going into 1931. [4] Returning to Empire City Race Track, on July 25, 1931 the still undefeated Vander Pool won the Greenfield Purse, giving him fifteen straight races without a loss which equaled a twenty-three-year-old American record set by Colin during 1907/08. [5]
Speed record:
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 $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Vander Pool | 2 | Danny McAuliffe | Dave Robb McDaniel | Tennessee Stable (Agnes Allen) | 5.5 F | 1:07.60 | $6,650 |
| 1929 | Mokatam | 2 | Laverne Fator | Sam Hildreth | Rancocas Stable | 5.5 F | 1:08.00 | $8,190 |
| 1928 | Dr. Freeland | 2 | John Maiben | Thomas J. Healey | Walter J. Salmon Sr. | 5.5 F | 1:07.20 | $8,610 |
| 1927 | Sun Edwin | 2 | Eddie Ambrose | Henry McDaniel | Willis Sharpe Kilmer | 5.5 F | 1:07.00 | $5,600 |
| 1926 | Charade | 2 | Edgar Barnes | John Johnson | James Butler | 5.5 F | 1:06.00 | $5,600 |
| 1925 | Canter | 2 | Clarence Turner | Harry Rites | J. Edwin Griffith | 5.5 F | 1:06.40 | $5,600 |
| 1924 | Sunny Man | 2 | Ray Carter | Charles J. Casey | Willis Sharpe Kilmer | 5.5 F | 1:07.00 | $5,500 |
| 1923 | Lord Baltimore | 2 | George Babin | William M. Garth | Joshua S. Cosden | 5.5 F | 1:07.20 | $5,550 |
| 1922 | Bud Lerner | 2 | Earl Sande | Frank M. Taylor | John E. Madden | 5.5 F | 1:07.60 | $5,050 |
| 1921 | Little Chief | 2 | Laverne Fator | Sam Hildreth | Rancocas Stable | 5.5 F | 1:07.40 | $5,450 |
| 1920 | Pluribus | 2 | Ted Rice | Thomas J. Shannon | Thomas W. O'Brien | 5.5 F | 1:07.80 | $4,675 |
| 1919 | Carmandale | 2 | Laverne Fator | Richard F. Carman Sr. | Richard F. Carman Sr. | 5.5 F | 1:10.00 | $3,900 |
| 1918 | Sweep On | 2 | Charles Fairbrother | William H. Karrick | William R. Coe | 5.5 F | 1:06.00 | $5,050 |
| 1917 | Papp | 2 | Roscoe Troxler | Max Hirsch | George W. Loft | 5.5 F | 1:07.60 | $4,150 |
| 1916 | Harry Kelly | 2 | Guy Garner | George Land | John W. Schorr | 5.5 F | 1:07.20 | $3,900 |
| 1915 | Friar Rock | 2 | Clarence Turner | Sam Hildreth | August Belmont Jr. | 5.5 F | 1:03.80 | $1,925 |
| 1914 | Pebbles | 2 | John McCabe | Richard C. Benson | James Butler | 5.5 F | 1:08.00 | $1,925 |
| 1913 | No races held due to the Hart–Agnew Law | |||||||
| 1911/12 | ||||||||
| 1910 | Everett | 3 | Joe McCahey | George Cornnell | Quincy Stable (James Francis Johnson) | 8 F | 1:40.00 | $1,150 |
| 1909 | Arondack | 3 | Joe McCahey | James J. McLaughlin | Mrs. James J. McLaughlin | 8 F | 1:40.80 | $870 |
| 1908 | Golden Pearl | 3 | James Butler Jr. | John Schlosser | A. Jack Joyner | 8 F | 1:42.40 | $3,045 |