Massachusetts Handicap
| Ungraded race | |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts Handicap | |
| Location | Suffolk Downs Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Inaugurated | 1935 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | www.suffolkdowns.com |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1⅛ miles (9 furlongs) |
| Track | Dirt, left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds and up |
| Weight | Handicap |
| Purse | $500,000 |
The Massachusetts Handicap, frequently referred to as the "MassCap", is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and up held annually at Suffolk Downs in Boston, Massachusetts. It is currently an Ungraded stakes race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt. The race received Grade III status by the American Graded Stakes Committee for 2009,[1] but the race wasn't run. The MassCap was stripped of its graded status in 2011 as a result of not being run for two consecutive years.[2]
Suffolk Downs continues to fight for its economic life since closing for a three-year period beginning in 1989. The MassCap has been a frequent casualty of those circumstances.[3] It was first held on October 16, 1935.
In an attempt to bring the MassCap back to its former glory, new ownership offered a purse of $500,000 in 2007. Suffolk Downs also provided a bonus of $200,000 if the winner won multiple Grade I or Group 1 stakes races at a mile or longer. An additional $100,000 was to be awarded if the winner had won one Grade I or Group 1 race and at least one other graded stakes race at a mile or longer in 2007.[4]
Part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, the winner of the 2008 Massachusetts Handicap automatically qualified for the Breeders' Cup Classic.[5]
Since inception the Massachusetts Handicap has been run at different distances:
- 1¼ miles : 1948-1969
- 1½ miles (Turf): 1970, 1971
[edit] Records
Time record:
- 1⅛ miles: 1:47.27 - Skip Away (1998) (new Track Record)
In the 1955 Massachusetts Handicap, jockey Sam Boulmetis, Sr. rode Helioscope to a track record time of 2:01 for 1¼ miles on dirt. As at 2008 that track record still stands.
Largest margin of victory:
- 14 lengths - Commentator (2008)
Most wins:
- 2 - First Fiddle (1944, 1945), Air Pilot (1959, 1962), Smart (1964, 1965), Cigar (1995, 1996), Skip Away (1997, 1998)
Most wins by a jockey:
- 4 - Jerry D. Bailey (1995, 1996, 1998, 2001)
Most wins by a trainer:
- 3 - Sonny Hine (1986, 1997, 1998) and Clyde Troutt (1959, 1960, 1962)
[edit] Winners of the Massachusetts Handicap
* Day Court finished first in 1959 but was disqualified and placed second.
* Raced in two divisions in 1977.
