Metropolitan Handicap

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Grade I race
Metropolitan Handicap
Location	Belmont Park Elmont, New York, USA
Inaugurated	1891
Race type	Thoroughbred - Flat racing
Website	www.nyra.com
Race information
Distance	1 mile (8 furlongs)
Track	Dirt, left-handed
Qualification	Three-year-olds and up
Weight	Handicap
Purse	$600,000

The Metropolitan Handicap is an American Grade I stakes race for Thoroughbred horses of either gender three-years-old and above. The race is run at Belmont Park for a $600,000 purse (with $450,000 given to the winner); its one-mile distance has earned it in the moniker the "Met Mile." Run at the end of May, the Met Mile is the first of three races in the New York Handicap Triple series, followed by the Suburban Handicap and Brooklyn Handicap.

The Met Mile was first run in 1891 at Morris Park; prior to 1897, it was run at 1-1/8 mile. In 1904, its location was moved to Belmont Park. There it remained but for nine years—1960 to 1967, 1969, and 1975—when Aqueduct Racetrack hosted the event. It was not run in 1895, 1911, and 1912.

Four horses have won the Handicap Triple:

• Whisk Broom II (1913)
• Tom Fool (1953)
• Kelso (1961)
• Fit to Fight (1984)

[edit] Records

Time record:

• 1:32.80 - Honour and Glory (1996)

Most wins

• 3 - Devil Diver (1943, 1944, 1945)
• Equipoise won the race in 1932 and 1933 then after winning again in 1934, was disqualified.
• Four other horses have officially won the Met Mile twice: Gulch (1987, 1988); Forego (1976, 1977); Stymie (1947, 1948); and Mad Hatter (1921, 1922).

Most wins by an owner

• 6 - Greentree Stable (1940, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1953, 1963)

Most wins by a jockey

• 4 - Eddie Arcaro (1938, 1940, 1957, 1961), Jerry D. Bailey (1984, 1989, 1998, 2003)

Most wins by a trainer

• 6 - John M. Gaver, Sr. (1940, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1953, 1963)

[edit] Winners since 1940

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2008	Divine Park	Alan Garcia	Kiaran McLaughlin	James E. Barry	1:36.91
2007	Corinthian	Kent Desormeaux	James A. Jerkens	Centennial Farms	1:34.77
2006	Silver Train	Edgar Prado	Richard E. Dutrow, Jr.	Buckram Oak Farm	1:34.27
2005	Ghostzapper	Javier Castellano	Robert J. Frankel	Stronach Stables	1:33.20
2004	Pico Central	Alex Solis	Paulo Lobo	Gary A. Tanaka	1:35.40
2003	Aldebaran	Jerry D. Bailey	Robert J. Frankel	Flaxman Stable	1:34.00
2002	Swept Overboard	Jorge Chavez	Craig Dollase	J. Paul Reddam	1:33.20
2001	Exciting Story	Patrick Husbands	Mark E. Casse	Harry T. Mangurian, Jr.	1:37.00
2000	Yankee Victor	Hector Castillo, Jr.	Carlos Morales	Moreton Binn	1:34.60
1999	Sir Bear	John R. Velazquez	Ralph Ziade	Barbara Smollin	1:34.40
1998	Wild Rush	Jerry D. Bailey	Richard Mandella	Stronach Stables	1:33.40
1997	Langfuhr	Jorge Chavez	Mike Keogh	Gustav Schickedanz	1:33.00
1996	Honour and Glory	John R. Velazquez	D. Wayne Lukas	Michael Tabor	1:32.80
1995	You And I	Jorge Chavez	Robert J. Frankel	Edmund A. Gann	1:34.60
1994	Holy Bull	Mike E. Smith	Warren A. Croll, Jr.	Warren A. Croll, Jr.	1:33.80
1993	Ibero	Laffit Pincay, Jr.	Ron McAnally	Frank E. Whitham	1:34.20
1992	Dixie Brass	Julio Pezua	Dennis J. Brida	Michael Watral	1:33.60
1991	In Excess	Pat A. Valenzuela	Bruce L. Jackson	Jack J. Munari	1:35.40
1990	Criminal Type	Jose Santos	D. Wayne Lukas	Calumet Farm	1:34.40
1989	Proper Reality	Jerry D. Bailey	Robert E. Holthus	Mrs. James A. Winn	1:34.00
1988	Gulch	Jose Santos	D. Wayne Lukas	Peter M. Brant	1:34.60
1987	Gulch	Pat Day	Leroy Jolley	Peter M. Brant	1:34.80
1986	Garthorn	Rafael Meza	Robert J. Frankel	Jerome S. Moss	1:33.60
1985	Forzando	Don MacBeth	John Sullivan	S. C. Chillingworth	1:34.40
1984	Fit To Fight	Jerry D. Bailey	MacKenzie Miller	Rokeby Stable	1:34.00
1983	Star Choice	Jorge Velasquez	John Veitch	Frances A. Genter	1:33.80
1982	Conquistador Cielo	Eddie Maple	Woody Stephens	Henryk de Kwiatkowski	1:33.00
1981	Fappiano	Angel Cordero, Jr.	Jan Nerud	John A. Nerud	1:33.80
1980	Czaravich	Laffit Pincay, Jr.	William H. Turner, Jr.	William L. Reynolds	1:35.80
1979	State Dinner	Chris McCarron	J. Elliott Burch	C. V. Whitney	1:34.00
1978	Cox's Ridge	Eddie Maple	Joseph B. Cantey	Loblolly Stable	1:34.60
1977	Forego	Bill Shoemaker	Frank Y. Whiteley, Jr.	Lazy F Ranch	1:34.80
1976	Forego	Heliodoro Gustines	Frank Y. Whiteley, Jr.	Lazy F Ranch	1:34.80
1975	Gold and Myrrh	Walter Blum	William F. Wilmot	William F. Wilmot	1:33.60
1974	Arbees Boy	Eddie Maple	George W. Weckerle, Jr.	Otly Stable	1:34.40
1973	Tentam	Jorge Velasquez	MacKenzie Miller	Cragwood Stable	1:35.00
1972	Executioner	Eddie Belmonte	Edward Yowell	October House Farm	1:35.40
1971	Tunex	John Ruane	H. Allen Jerkens	Hobeau Farm	1:35.80
1970	Nodouble	Jorge Tejeira	J. Bert Sonnier	Verna Lea Farm	1:34.60
1969	Arts and Letters	Jean Cruguet	Elliott Burch	Rokeby Stable	1:34.00
1968	In Reality	John L. Rotz	Melvin Calvert	Frances A. Genter	1:35.00
1967	Buckpasser	Braulio Baeza	Edward A. Neloy	Ogden Phipps	1:34.60
1966	Bold Lad	Braulio Baeza	Edward A. Neloy	Wheatley Stable	1:34.20
1965	Gun Bow	Walter Blum	Edward A. Neloy	Gedney Farm	1:34.40
1964	Olden Times	Henry Moreno	Mesh Tenney	Rex C. Ellsworth	1:34.40
1963	Cyrano	Bobby Ussery	John M. Gaver, Sr.	Greentree Stable	1:35.00
1962	Carry Back	John L. Rotz	Jack A. Price	Katherine Price	1:33.60
1961	Kelso	Eddie Arcaro	Carl Hanford	Bohemia Stable	1:35.60
1960	Bald Eagle	Manuel Ycaza	Woody Stephens	Cain Hoy Stable	1:33.60
1959	Sword Dancer	Bill Shoemaker	J. Elliott Burch	Brookmeade Stable	1:35.20
1958	Gallant Man	Bill Shoemaker	John A. Nerud	Ralph Lowe	1:35.60
1957	Traffic Judge	Eddie Arcaro	James W. Maloney	L. P. Doherty	1:36.00
1956	Midafternoon	William Boland	T. M. Waller	Mrs. E. E. Robbins	1:35.00
1955	High Gun	Anthony DeSpirito	Max Hirsch	King Ranch	1:35.60
1954	Native Dancer	Eric Guerin	William C. Winfrey	Alfred G. Vanderbilt II	1:35.20
1953	Tom Fool	Ted Atkinson	John M. Gaver, Sr.	Greentree Stable	1:35.80
1952	Mameluke	Gerald Porch	Sylvester Veitch	C. V. Whitney	1:36.40
1951	Casemate	Dave Gorman	Robert Dotter	James Cox Brady, Jr.	1:35.40
1950	Greek Ship	Hedley Woodhouse	Preston M. Burch	Brookmeade Stable	1:36.60
1949	Loser Weeper	Hedley Woodhouse	William C. Winfrey	Alfred G. Vanderbilt II	1:36.40
1948	Stymie	Conn McCreary	Hirsch Jacobs	Ethel D. Jacobs	1:36.80
1947	Stymie	Basil James	Hirsch Jacobs	Ethel D. Jacobs	1:37.40
1946	Gallorette	Job Dean Jessop	Edward A. Christmas	William L. Brann	1:37.00
1945	Devil Diver	Ted Atkinson	John M. Gaver, Sr.	Greentree Stable	1:36.40
1944	Devil Diver	Ted Atkinson	John M. Gaver, Sr.	Greentree Stable	1:35.80
1943	Devil Diver	George Woolf	John M. Gaver, Sr.	Greentree Stable	1:36.60
1942	Attention	Don Meade	Max Hirsch	Mrs. Parker Corning	1:36.40
1941	Eight Thirty	Harry Richards	Bert Mulholland	George D. Widener, Jr.	1:37.20
1940	Third Degree	Eddie Arcaro	John M. Gaver, Sr.	Greentree Stable	1:35.40

[edit] Earlier winners