Annual Champion Stakes
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Brooklyn, New York, USA
| Class | Discontinued stakes |
|---|---|
| Location | Sheepshead Bay Race Track Brooklyn, New York, USA |
| Inaugurated | 1900–1908 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2+1⁄4 miles (18 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-years-old and up |
| Weight | 3yos: 116 lbs.; 4yos: 130 lbs; 5yos & up: 131 lbs. |
| Purse | $25,000 |
The Annual Champion Stakes is a discontinued Thoroughbred horse race run from 1900 through 1908 that was the richest in the United States at the time for older horses with a guarantee purse of $25,000. Run on dirt over a distance of two and one-quarter miles at the Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York, the race was open to horses age three and older.[1][2] The race was created to try to slow a decade-long trend to shorter distance races.[3]
The Annual Champion Stakes was last run on September 12, 1908, and was won by King James. [4] Earlier that year 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.[5] The owners of Sheepshead Bay Race Track, and other racing facilities in New York state, struggled to stay in business without wagering revenue.[6] Racetrack operators had no choice but to drastically reduce the purse money being paid out which by 1909 saw many stakes races being canceled or offering a substantially reduced purse.[7] 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 shutdown of racing across the state during 1911 and 1912. When a Court ruling saw racing return in 1913 it was too late for any revival of the Annual Champion Stakes as the Sheepshead Bay horse racing facility never reopened.