| Class | Discontinued stakes race |
|---|---|
| Location | Aqueduct Racetrack, Queens, New York, United States |
| Inaugurated | 1955 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2+1⁄4 miles (18 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Three years and older |
The Display Handicap was an American long distance Thoroughbred horse race held annually from 1955 through 1990.[1] A race for 3-year-olds and up, it was run at the Jamaica Race Course from inception through 1958 at a distance of 21⁄16 miles. In 1959 the race was moved permanently to the newly renovated Aqueduct Racetrack after which the Jamaica track was closed and the property sold to real estate developers.[2][3][4] From 1959 through 1969 it was contested at 2 miles then its final two decades was run at a distance of 2+1⁄4 miles. The Display Handicap was traditionally held on the last day of racing in New York City for that calendar year.[5] It began ending the season on December 31, 1976, when year-round racing was introduced in New York.
The race was aptly named for Display, a son of Fair Play (as was Man o' War, elected #1 in the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century). Display was noted for being able to carry heavy weights over marathon distances successfully. The Display Handicap was distinctive for the fact that many horses who normally ran in claiming races (but possessed abundant stamina) would be entered in it, and a few such horses went on to win the event. In 1978, Seaney Bear nosed out Framarco, another horse who ran mostly in claiming races. They competed in one of the two divisions of the race which were run in that year, necessitated by an unusually high number of horses entered in the race. Although the race was for 3-year-olds and up, it was rare for a 3-year-old to win it; when In the Ruff won the 1983 running he became the first 3-year-old winner of the Display since Dean Carl in 1963, and the first ever at the 2+1⁄4-mile distance.[6]
The Display Handicap was run in two divisions in 1974 and 1978 but in its later years field sizes became progressively smaller, with only five starters in what would prove to be the final running on December 31, 1990.[7] The discontinuing of the Display Handicap left the Valedictory Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario (run at 1+3⁄4 miles) as the longest stakes race run on the dirt in North America.[8]
- ^ "Hitchcock, $6.80, Wins Display By Neck at Big A". New York Times. 1970-12-06. p. 255. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
- ^ Nichols, Joseph C. (October 5, 1955). "New Track Group Takes Over Today". The New York Times. p. 45. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ Nichols, Joseph C. (June 27, 1956). "Track to Handle Crowds of 60,000". New York Times. p. S39. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ Bigart, Homer (October 5, 1956). "Moses Plans Deal on Jamaica Track". The New York Times. p. 26. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "In the Ruff Triumphs In Display Handicap". New York Times, Section 5, page 8. 1984-01-01. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
- ^ "In the Ruff Triumphs In Display Handicap". New York Times. 1984-01-01. Section 5, page 8. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
- ^ "Blackhawk's Ghost wins Aqueduct's Display". The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky) page 14. 1991-01-01. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
- ^ "Horsepeople – Valedictory Stakes". Woodbine Entertainment Group. 2020-01-30. Retrieved 2020-01-30.