Reapers Stakes
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| Class | Discontinued stakes |
|---|---|
| Location | Sheepshead Bay Race Track Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York |
| Inaugurated | 1887–1907 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+3⁄16 miles (9.5 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-years-old |
The Reapers Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Held in September, the race was open to three-year-olds of either sex. It was run on dirt over a distance of 1 3/16 miles except for 1903 when it was set at 1 3/8 miles.[1]
On June 19, 1880 the Sheepshead Bay facility hosted its first day of Thoroughbred racing.[2] Success made the addition of more stakes races possible and in 1887 the Reapers Stakes had its inaugural running. That race was won by Belvidere, a colt owned by the Preakness Stables of James Galway, a successful wholesaler of grocery store products and a Steward of The Jockey Club. The final running took place in 1907 and was won by the 20:1 outsider, Blue Book.[3]
After years of uncertainty, 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.[4] The owners of Sheepshead Bay Race Track, and other racing facilities in New York State, struggled to stay in business without income from betting.[5] Racetrack operators had no choice but to drastically reduce the purse money being paid out which resulted in the Reapers Stakes being dropped from the 1908 schedule to enable a redistribution of funds to the most high-profile races.[6] 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.