| Class | Discontinued stakes |
|---|---|
| Location | Sheepshead Bay Race Track Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Inaugurated | 1886–1910 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | Furlongs: 1886–1900: 5+3⁄4 1901–1909: 5+1⁄2 1910: 5 |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Two-year-olds |
The Zephyr Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race that was run from 1886 through 1910 at Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. A race for two-year-olds of either sex, it was a sprint race run on dirt. During its tenure, it was run at three different distances. From inception through 1900 it was run on the track's Futurity course at 5+3⁄4 furlongs with a setup that did not accommodate a standard six-furlong race. [1] (A furlong is 1⁄8 mi or 0.20 km.)
The 1886 inaugural Zephyr Stakes was won by Tremont. Considered one of the great two-year-old horses in the history of American racing, Tremont's thirteen race wins set a record for the most by an undefeated two-year-old trained in the United States. Going into 2019, that record still stands. He earned 1886 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt honors. [2]
On June 11, 1908, the Republican controlled New York Legislature under Governor Charles Evans Hughes passed the Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation 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 Mermaid Stakes offering a purse that was close to one-tenth 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:
Most wins by a jockey:
Most wins by a trainer:
Most wins by an owner:
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Dist. (Furlongs) | Time | Win US$ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | Round The World | 2 | Frank Keogh | J. H. Armstrong | William G. Yanke | 5 F | 0:59.80 | $520 |
| 1909 | Reybourn | 2 | James Butwell | William O. Scully | H. L. Lee | 5.5 F | 1:07.40 | $455 |
| 1908 | Torbellino | 2 | Joe McCahey | Enoch Wishard | Adolph B. Spreckels | 5.5 F | 1:07.00 | $3,690 |
| 1907 | Lady Winifred | 2 | Guy Garner | James H. McCreery | Frederick Johnson | 5.5 F | 1:07.20 | $4,310 |
| 1906 | Red River | 2 | Walter Miller | T. J. Healey | Richard T. Wilson Jr. | 5.5 F | 1:06.80 | $4,470 |
| 1905 | Gallavant | 2 | Arthur Redfern | T. J. Healey | Richard T. Wilson Jr. | 5.5 F | 1:08.00 | $3,900 |
| 1904 | Gamara | 2 | Gene Hildebrand | T. J. Healey | Richard T. Wilson Jr. | 5.5 F | 1:08.60 | $3,735 |
| 1903 | Race King | 2 | Frank O'Neill | Jim McLaughlin | Orville L. Richards | 5.5 F | 1:09.20 | $3,900 |
| 1902 | Golden Maxim | 2 | Winfield O'Connor | James J. McLaughlin | J. P. Kramer | 5.5 F | 1:08.40 | $3,940 |
| 1901 | Disadvantage | 2 | Willie Shaw | Arthur Carter | J. W. Smythe | 5.5 F | 1:06.40 | $700 |
| 1900 | Commando | 2 | Henry Spencer | James G. Rowe Sr. | James R. Keene | 5.75 F | 1:09.40 | $1,800 |
| 1899 | Killashandra | 2 | Patrick A. McCue | Sam Hildreth | Sydney Paget | 5.75 F | 1:11.40 | $1,890 |
| 1898 | Sir Hubert | 2 | Tod Sloan | Thomas Welsh | C. Fleischmann's Sons | 5.75 F | 1:11.20 | $1,970 |
| 1897 | Mont d'Or † | 2 | Joseph Scherrer | William Hayward Sr. | Sensation Stable (S. Deimel & H. S. Crossman) | 5.75 F | 1:11.00 | $1,450 |
| 1896 | Divide | 2 | Tod Sloan | William H. Karrick | Kensico Stable (J. P. Kramer & A. L. Aste) | 5.75 F | 1:13.20 | $1,430 |
| 1895 | Applegate | 2 | John J. McCafferty | John J. McCafferty | John J. McCafferty | 5.75 F | 1:11.40 | $1,450 |
| 1894 | Waltzer | 2 | Henry Griffin | John J. Hyland | David Gideon & John Daly | 5.75 F | 1:11.80 | $1,950 |
| 1893 | Dobbins | 2 | Willie Simms | Hardy Campbell Jr. | Richard Croker | 5.75 F | 1:12.00 | $3,430 |
| 1892 | Lovelace | 2 | Fred Taral | John Hunter | John Hunter | 5.75 F | 1:14.60 | $3,100 |
| 1891 | Nomad | 2 | Edward H. Garrison | Albert Cooper | Rosemeade Stable (Lee J. Rose) | 5.75 F | 1:15.00 | $3,490 |
| 1890 | Bolero | 2 | Marty Bergen | Charles Leighton | William Lawrence Scott | 5.75 F | 1:10.00 | $3,340 |
| 1889 | Blackburn | 2 | George Taylor | Frank McCabe | Dwyer Brothers Stable | 5.75 F | 1:15.50 | $3,375 |
| 1888 | Holiday | 2 | Robert Williams | R. Wyndham Walden | R. Wyndham Walden | 5.75 F | 1:15.00 | $3,855 |
| 1887 | King Fish | 2 | Jim McLaughlin | Frank McCabe | Dwyer Brothers Stable | 5.75 F | 1:15.00 | $3,710 |
| 1886 | Tremont | 2 | Jim McLaughlin | Frank McCabe | Dwyer Brothers Stable | 5.75 F | 1:17.25 | $2,075 |