The Empire City Gold Cup was an American Thoroughbred horse race first run in 1947 and 1948 at Belmont Park then at Jamaica Race Course from 1949 through 1953 as a race created for horses age three and older. With its lucrative $100,000 purse, it was promoted as an international event in an effort to attract horses from Europe and South America. Run in October or early November it was contested on dirt at a distance of 1 5/8 miles which made it best suited for stayers.
| Discontinued stakes race | |
| Location | Belmont Park, Elmont, New York (1947-1948) Jamaica Race Course Jamaica, New York (1949-1953) |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1947 - 1953 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1⅝ miles (13 furlongs) |
| Track | Dirt, left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-years-old &up |
| Weight | Assigned |
| Purse | $100,000 ($857,000 in 2019 - adjusted for inflation) |
While a short-lived event, the Empire City Gold Cup attracted some of the best horses of the era. The inaugural race in 1947 was won by Stymie, a future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee who was voted #41 on the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century. Among the seven starters were two from South America.[1] The following year Citation came into the 1948 edition of the Empire City Gold Cup as that year's U.S. Triple Crown winner. Citation would be voted that year's U.S. Horse of the Year, become a Hall of Fame member, and be voted #3 on the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century.[2] 1952 winner One Count would also go on to earn American Horse of the Year honors that year. In its final running on October 31, 1953, Crafty Admiral, the American Champion Older Male Horse of 1952, won by 10 Lengths.[3]
Prominent horses beaten in the Empire City Gold Cup include: 1946 Triple Crown winner Assault, which ran third behind winner Stymie and runner-up Natchez; Christopher Chenery's Hill Prince, the 1950 American Horse of the Year and a future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, ran second to Sonny Whitney's Counterpoint in the 1951 race; [4] and Phalanx, the 1947 American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse and that year's Belmont Stakes winner, was no match for Citation and finished second by two lengths.[5]
Speed record:
Most wins:
Most wins by a jockey:
Most wins by a trainer:
Most wins by an owner:
| Year |
Winner |
Age |
Jockey |
Trainer |
Owner |
Dist. (Miles) |
Time |
Purse $100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Crafty Admiral | 5 | William Boland | Robert B. Odom | Charfran Stable (Charles & Frances Cohen) | 15⁄8M | 2:43.60 | $100,000 |
| 1952 | One Count | 3 | Dave Gorman | Oscar White | Sarah F. Jeffords | 15⁄8M | 2:44.00 | $100,000 |
| 1951 | Counterpoint | 3 | Dave Gorman | Sylvester E. Veitch | Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney | 15⁄8M | 2:42.80 | $50,000 |
| 1950 | Greek Ship | 3 | Eddie Arcaro | Preston M. Burch | Brookmeade Stable | 15⁄8M | 2:43.80 | $50,000 |
| 1949 | Adile | 3 | Ted Atkinson | Oscar White | Sarah F. Jeffords | 15⁄8M | 2:45.00 | $50,000 |
| 1948 | Citation | 3 | Eddie Arcaro | Jimmy Jones | Calumet Farm | 15⁄8M | 2:42.80 | $100,000 |
| 1947 | Stymie | 6 | Conn McCreary | Hirsch Jacobs | Ethel D. Jacobs | 15⁄8M | 2:42.60 | $100,000 |