Sapphire Stakes (United States)
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| Class | Discontinued stakes |
|---|---|
| Location | Sheepshead Bay Race Track, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Inaugurated | 1887 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 5.5 furlongs |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Two years old |
The Sapphire Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run from 1887 through 1909 at Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. A race for two-year-old horses of either sex, it was run on dirt over a distance of five and one-half furlongs.[1]
The inaugural running of the Sapphire Stakes took which took place on September 1, 1887 was won by Geraldine.[2] Owned by Porter Ashe, ridden by Mike Kelly, and trained by Matthew Allen, Geraldine was described in a 1907 Daily Racing Form article as "one of the fastest sprinters of American turf history."[3] After another two years of racing, the same publication expanded their assessment of Geraldine to "one of the fleetest mares that ever raced in this country."[4]
Lady Navarre won the 1905 Sapphire Stakes and as a three-year-old continued to take on her male counterparts, winning the Tennessee Derby and finishing second to Sir Huon in the 1906 Kentucky Derby.[5][6]
The End of a Race and of a Racetrack
Passage of the Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation by the New York Legislature under Republican Governor Charles Evans Hughes led to a compete shutdown of racing in 1911 and 1912 in the state.[7][8] A February 21, 1913 ruling by the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division saw horse racing return in 1913.[9] However, it was too late for the Sheepshead Bay horse racing facility and it never reopened.[10][11]