First Flight Handicap
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The First Flight Handicap is a race for thoroughbred horses and is named in honor of Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney`s champion 2 year old of 1946. First Flight, a filly, won the Matron Stakes, and beat male opponents in winning the Futurity Stakes.
The First Flight is run each autumn either at Belmont Park or at Aqueduct Race Track on Long Island, New York for fillies and mares, age three and up. Raced at a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt track, the Grade II event offers a purse of $150,000.
The 2008 renewal will be the 31th running of the First Flight.
The race was run at Belmont Park in 1990, 2001 and 2003, and run at Aqueduct in other years.
[edit] Past winners
Winners of the First Flight are:
- 2007 - Ginger Punch (Rafael Bejarano)
- 2006 - Carmandia (Chris DeCarlo)
- 2005 - Great Intentions (Edgar Prado)
- 2004 - Bending Strings (Shaun Bridgmohan)
- 2003 - Randaroo (Heberto Castillo, Jr.)
- 2002 - Shine Again (Jean-Luc Samyn)
- 2001 - Shine Again (Jean-Luc Samyn)
- 2000 - Country Hideaway (Jose Espinoza)
- 1999 - Country Hideaway (Heberto Castillo Jr.)
- 1998 - Catinca (Richard Migliore)
- 1997 - Dixie Flag (Mike Luzzi)
- 1996 - Thunder Achiever (Robbie Davis)
- 1995 - Twist Afleet (Gary Stevens)
- 1994 - Twist Afleet (Jerry Bailey)
- 1993 - Raise Heck (Roger I. Velez)
- 1992 - Shared Interest (Jerry Bailey)
- 1991 - Missy's Mirage (Eddie Maple)
- 1990 - Queena (Jerry Bailey)
- 1989 - Grecian Flight (Craig Perret)
- 1988 - Cagey Exhuberance (Joseph Imparato)
- 1987 - Al's Helen (Jerry Bailey)
- 1986 - Chaldea (Jean-Luc Samyn)
- 1985 - Alabama Nana (Jorge Velasquez)
- 1984 - Shortly (Mario G. Pino)
- 1983 - Pert (Frank Lovato, Jr.)
- 1982 - Number (Eddie Maple)
- 1981 - Samarta Dancer (Cash Asmussen)
- 1980 - Gladiolus (Laffit Pincay Jr.)
- 1979 - What A Summer (Jeffrey Fell)
