Fall Highweight Handicap

Fall Highweight Handicap
Grade III race
Location	Aqueduct Racetrack Queens, New York
Inaugurated	1914
Race type	Thoroughbred, Flat racing
Website	Aqueduct Racetrack
Race information
Distance	6 furlongs
Track	Dirt, Left-handed
Qualification	Three years old & up
Weight	Handicap (top-weighted horse assigned minimum 140 lb)
Purse	$300,000-added

The Fall Highweight Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually near the end of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Currently run at a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 m), it is open to horses three years of age and older. The race is a real test for speed and strength in that the top-weighted horse is assigned a minimum of 140 pounds (63.5 kg). The race was given its current Grade III status in 2009 by the American Graded Stakes Committee. ^[1]

Run at Belmont Park from its inception in 1914 to 1959 and again from 1963 to 1993, the race was open to horses of any age until 1959 when it was changed to its present format. It was raced on a straight course prior to 1921, from 1926 to 1939, and again from 1942 to 1957. A large field resulted in the 1976 edition being run in two divisions.

The first edition of the Fall Highweight Handicap was a remarkable victory for Comely who was not only a filly that defeated male rivals, but the only two-year-old to ever win the race. The Comely Stakes were named in honor of her achievement.

Records

Most wins by a jockey:

• 5 - Eddie Arcaro, Jorge Chavez
• 4 - Angel Cordero, Jr., John L. Rotz, Raymond Workman

Most wins by an owner:

• 4 - Joseph E. Widener (1919, 1929, 1931, 1941)
• 3 - Brookfield Farm (1956, 1957, 1958)

Winners of the Fall Highweight Handicap

Earlier winners

* In 1918, Fairy Wand finished first, but was disqualified.

References