The Violet Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...

 held annually during the second week of October at Meadowlands Racetrack

Meadowlands Racetrack

The Meadowlands Racetrack is a horse racing track at the MetLife Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States.The track hosts both thoroughbred racing and harness racing...

 in East Rutherford, New Jersey

East Rutherford, New Jersey

East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....

. Inaugurated in 1977, the current Grade III

Graded stakes race

A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...

 event is open to fillies

Filly

A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....

 and mare

Mare

Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...

s age three and older and is raced on turf

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

 over a distance of 1 ¹/16 miles (8.5 furlong

Furlong

A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....

s).

The Violet Handicap was raced on dirt in 1977, 1993, 1999 and was run in two divisions in 1980, 1982 through 1985, 1987 and 1988.

Records

Speed record:

• 1:39.60 - Gather The Clan (1989)

Most wins:

• 2 - Humoristic (2005, 2007)

Most wins by an owner:

• 2 - Walter Haefner
  Walter Haefner
  Walter Haefner is a businessman and a Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder in Ireland. He was born in Switzerland.As a young man, Walter Haefner went to work in the auto industry as an employee of the Swiss division of General Motors Corporation...
  
   (1977, 1985)
• 2 - Edward P. Evans (1985, 1987)
• 2 - Bonner Farm (1990, 1992)
• 2 - Erdenheim Farm
  Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr.
  Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr. was an American educator, sportsman, and philanthropist.-Biography:He was the son of banker Fitz Eugene Dixon, Sr. and his wife Eleanor Widener, a member of the wealthy Philadelphia Widener family. His grandfather, George D. Widener, and uncle, Harry Elkins Widener, had both...
  
   (1996, 1997)
• 2 - Mrs. Arturo Peralta-Ramos (2005, 2007)

Most wins by a jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

:

• 5 - Jean-Luc Samyn
  Jean-Luc Samyn
  Jean-Luc Samyn is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.The son of a pastry chef, Jean-Luc Samyn was one of three children. At age thirteen, he went to work for the stable of trainer John Cunnington at Chantilly, a racecourse about north of Paris city center...
  
   (1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987)

Most wins by a trainer

Horse trainer

In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...

:

• 3 - Philip G. Johnson (1983, 1985, 1987)
• 3 - Barclay Tagg
  Barclay Tagg
  Barclay Tagg is an American thoroughbred horse trainer. A 1961 graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Animal Husbandry, he is best known for conditioning Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Funny Cide. Horses in Tagg's stable have included Showing Up and...
  
   (1990, 1992, 2004)

Winners

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2009	Quiet Harbor	4	Eddie Castro Eddie Castro Eddie Castro is a Panamanian-born jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He grew up on a produce farm in Panama where he learned to ride saddle horses. Influenced by the accomplishments of other local jockeys, Castro attended the Panamanian jockey school and began riding in races in...	C. R. McGaughey III	McGaughey Stable	1:41.30
2008	American Border	4	Jose Lezcano Jose Lezcano Jose Lezcano is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He rides in New York in the spring, summer and fall and spends the winter in Florida. His big break came in 2008 when he won a Breeders' Cup race....	Jason Servis	Mr. Amore Stables	1:41.74
2007	Humoristic	6	Rajiv Maragh Rajiv Maragh Rajiv Maragh is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. An Indo-Jamaican, he is the son of a jockey who rode in Jamaica before relocating to Florida where he began a career as a horse trainer....	Hamilton A. Smith	Mrs. Arturo Peralta-Ramos	1:41.23
2006	No Sleep	4	Mike Luzzi Mike Luzzi Michael Jude Luzzi is an American jockey. He grew up near Delaware Park Racetrack where his grandfather, trainer Buddy Raines, had a major role in raising him and his brother John who also became a jockey...	Bruce N. Levine Bruce N. Levine Bruce N. Levine is a trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses.Raised on Long Island, New York, where he still makes his home, Levine earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration]] from the University of Miami before becoming a trainer. He saddled his first race winner in 1979 and as of...	Glencrest Farm LLC	1:42.48
2005	Humoristic	4	Harry Vega Harry Vega Harry Vega is an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing.Vega began his riding career in Michigan in 1983 then in the late 1980s moved to compete at tracks on the Northeast coast of the United States...	Hamilton A. Smith	Mrs. Arturo Peralta-Ramos	1:42.23
2004	Changing World	4	Pablo Fragoso	Barclay Tagg Barclay Tagg Barclay Tagg is an American thoroughbred horse trainer. A 1961 graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Animal Husbandry, he is best known for conditioning Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Funny Cide. Horses in Tagg's stable have included Showing Up and...	Mrs. S. H. Rogers, Jr.	1:41.53
2003	Dancal	5	Javier Castellano Javier Castellano Javier Castellano is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.Castellano began his riding career in his native Venezuela in 1996 and in June 1997 moved to the United States where rode at race tracks in southern Florida until 2001 when he moved to race on the New York State racing circuit.In...	Todd A. Pletcher	Marlon Aronstam	1:43.69
2002	Babae	6	Richard Migliore	Frank A. Alexander Frank A. Alexander Frank A. Alexander is an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer.Alexander took out his trainer's license in 1963 and in 1974 opened a public stable in Maryland. He returned to his present base in New York in 1987...	Joseph Platt, Jr.	1:41.17
2001	Clearly A Queen	4	Jorge F. Chavez Jorge F. Chavez Jorge F. Chavez is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.Chavez began his career in horse racing in 1982 in his native Peru and by 1987 was his country's leading rider. In April 1988 he emigrated to the United States where he raced with a great deal of success at Florida race tracks...	Bobby C. Barnett	John A. Franks John A. Franks John Franks was an American businessman and a Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. A native of Haughton, Louisiana, he earned a degree in geology from Louisiana State University. In 1962, he founded the highly successful Franks Petroleum Inc. and later invested in real estate with Franks...	1:43.56
2000	Follow The Money	4	Chris McCarron Chris McCarron Christopher John "Chris" McCarron is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He is currently working as a racing analyst for TVG Network....	David Hofmans David Hofmans David E. Hofmans is an American trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses. Born and raised in Los Angeles, as a boy his father brought him to watch horse racing at area tracks. While a student at Pasadena City College he became friends with Gary Jones...	Christopher & Patricia Elia	1:42.65
1999	Tookin Down	4	Edgar Prado	Richard W. Small	Richard W. Small	1:42.39
1998	Heaven's Command	4	Richard Migliore	Christophe Clement Christophe Clement Christophe Clement is a Thoroughbred horse trainer in the United States.- Racing background :Christophe Clement initially acquired his training skills from father Miguel, a leading trainer in France, Christophe later worked for the prominent French racing family of trainer Alec Head...	Skymarc Farm	1:40.71
1997	Sangria	4	Rick Wilson	John R. S. Fisher	Erdenheim Farm Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr. Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr. was an American educator, sportsman, and philanthropist.-Biography:He was the son of banker Fitz Eugene Dixon, Sr. and his wife Eleanor Widener, a member of the wealthy Philadelphia Widener family. His grandfather, George D. Widener, and uncle, Harry Elkins Widener, had both...	1:42.02
1996	Plenty Of Sugar	5	Robert Colton	John R. S. Fisher	Erdenheim Farm Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr. Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr. was an American educator, sportsman, and philanthropist.-Biography:He was the son of banker Fitz Eugene Dixon, Sr. and his wife Eleanor Widener, a member of the wealthy Philadelphia Widener family. His grandfather, George D. Widener, and uncle, Harry Elkins Widener, had both...	1:48.62
1995	Symphony Lady	5	Joe Bravo Joe Bravo (jockey) Joe Bravo is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. The son and grandson of jockeys, he began his professional career in Thoroughbred flat racing at Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens, Florida during the latter end of 1988.According to his NTRA profile, Joe Bravo has dominated the New...	Flint S. Schulhofer Flint S. Schulhofer Flint S. "Scotty" Schulhofer was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.Schulhofer was born into a racing family in Aiken, South Carolina, where his father owned a racing stable as well as a riding academy...	J. Cohen	1:45.48
1994	It's Personal	4	John Velazquez	Michael W. Dickinson	Prestonwood Farm	1:42.61
1993	Mz. Zill Bear	4	Edgar Prado	Ronald Cartwright	Mea Culpa Stable	1:44.55
1992	Highland Crystal	4	Edgar Prado	Barclay Tagg Barclay Tagg Barclay Tagg is an American thoroughbred horse trainer. A 1961 graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Animal Husbandry, he is best known for conditioning Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Funny Cide. Horses in Tagg's stable have included Showing Up and...	Bonner Farm	1:41.26
1991	Southern Tradition	4	Jose A. Santos	Henry L. Carroll Henry L. Carroll Henry L. Carroll he was the son of Bill Carroll who trained horses at New England racetracks. Carroll holds a degree in History from Newberry College. Having ties to thoroughbred horses through his own father and eager to get back into the world of racing, Carroll obtained his racing license in...	Delehanty Farm	1:43.60
1990	Miss Josh	4	Mario Pino Mario G. Pino Mario G. Pino is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Raised on a farm, he began his riding career in 1978 at Delaware Park in Wilmington...	Barclay Tagg Barclay Tagg Barclay Tagg is an American thoroughbred horse trainer. A 1961 graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Animal Husbandry, he is best known for conditioning Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Funny Cide. Horses in Tagg's stable have included Showing Up and...	Bonner Farm	1:40.00
1989	Gather The Clan	4	Craig Perret Craig Perret Craig Perret is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding horses at age five and by seven was riding quarter horses in match races...	William I. Mott	Bertram R. Firestone	1:39.60
1988	Just Class	4	Chris Antley Chris Antley Christopher Wiley Antley was a champion American jockey.He was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida but grew up in Elloree, South Carolina. He left school at sixteen to ride horses professionally at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. His first win was on a horse named Vaya Con Dinero...	Alan E. Goldberg Alan E. Goldberg Alan E. Goldberg is an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer. He began his career as a professional trainer in the early 1970s, serving as an apprentice to Walter Kelley from a base at New York's Aqueduct Racetrack. In 1974 he went out on his own and in 1989 trained Safely Kept to American...	Robert Masterson	1:40.20
1988	Graceful Darby	4	Randy Romero Randy Romero Randy Paul Romero is a Hall of Fame jockey in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing, Born into a family involved with horses, his father Lloyd J...	John M. Veitch John M. Veitch John M. Veitch is an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer. The son of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer Sylvester Veitch, his family has been part of the horse-training business for three generations....	James W. Phillips Darby Dan Farm Darby Dan Farm is a produce, livestock, and thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm founded in 1935 near the Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio by businessman John W. Galbreath. Named for the creek and for Galbreath's son, Daniel M. Galbreath , it was expanded from an original farm into a 4,000...	1:41.00
1987	Videogenic	5	Jean Cruguet Jean Cruguet Jean Cruguet is an French-American thoroughbred horse racing jockey who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing....	Gasper Moschera	Albert & Barbara Davis	1:42.00
1987	Dismasted	5	Jean-Luc Samyn Jean-Luc Samyn Jean-Luc Samyn is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.The son of a pastry chef, Jean-Luc Samyn was one of three children. At age thirteen, he went to work for the stable of trainer John Cunnington at Chantilly, a racecourse about north of Paris city center...	Philip G. Johnson	Edward P. Evans	1:41.60
1986	Lake Country	5	Vince Bracciale, Jr.	Donnie Walker	D. Prowse & D. McIntosh	1:41.20
1985	Vers La Caisse	4	Richard Migliore	Victor J. Nickerson Victor J. Nickerson Victor J. "Lefty" Nickerson was an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer. He embarked on a career as a professional trainer in 1953, working primarily at racetracks in the Northeastern United States...	Walter Haefner Walter Haefner Walter Haefner is a businessman and a Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder in Ireland. He was born in Switzerland.As a young man, Walter Haefner went to work in the auto industry as an employee of the Swiss division of General Motors Corporation...	1:43.00
1985	Possible Mate	4	Jean-Luc Samyn Jean-Luc Samyn Jean-Luc Samyn is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.The son of a pastry chef, Jean-Luc Samyn was one of three children. At age thirteen, he went to work for the stable of trainer John Cunnington at Chantilly, a racecourse about north of Paris city center...	Philip G. Johnson	Edward P. Evans	1:42.20
1984	Rash But Royal	4	Jack Kaenel	Richard A. DeStasio	M. Berry	1:42.20
1984	Aspen Rose	4	Jorge Velasquez Jorge Velasquez Jorge Velásquez is a thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey.Jorge Velasquez career in thoroughbred racing began in his native Panama but as a teenager moved to the United States...	John M. Veitch John M. Veitch John M. Veitch is an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer. The son of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer Sylvester Veitch, his family has been part of the horse-training business for three generations....	Daniel M. Galbreath Darby Dan Farm Darby Dan Farm is a produce, livestock, and thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm founded in 1935 near the Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio by businessman John W. Galbreath. Named for the creek and for Galbreath's son, Daniel M. Galbreath , it was expanded from an original farm into a 4,000...	1:42.00
1983	Twosome	4	Jerry Bailey	Laz Barrera Laz Barrera Lazaro Sosa Barrera was a Cuban-born American Hall of Fame thoroughbred racehorse trainer.Born in Havana, "Laz" Barrera was one of nine brothers who went on to become involved in thoroughbred horse racing in the United States...	Charles T. Wilson, Jr.	1:41.20
1983	Geraldine's Store	4	Jean-Luc Samyn Jean-Luc Samyn Jean-Luc Samyn is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.The son of a pastry chef, Jean-Luc Samyn was one of three children. At age thirteen, he went to work for the stable of trainer John Cunnington at Chantilly, a racecourse about north of Paris city center...	Philip G. Johnson	Thomas P. Whitney Thomas P. Whitney Thomas Porter Whitney was an American diplomat, author, translator, philanthropist and Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder....	1:40.60
1982	Dearly Too	3	Jean-Luc Samyn Jean-Luc Samyn Jean-Luc Samyn is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.The son of a pastry chef, Jean-Luc Samyn was one of three children. At age thirteen, he went to work for the stable of trainer John Cunnington at Chantilly, a racecourse about north of Paris city center...	Stephen A. DiMauro Stephen A. DiMauro Stephen A. "Steve" DiMauro is a retired jockey, Champion trainer and successful breeder and owner in American Thoroughbred horse racing....	R. E. Bailey	1:42.20
1982	Pat's Joy	4	Jerry Bailey	Mitch Griffin	Fred W. Hooper Fred W. Hooper Fred William Hooper was an American Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. He was a member of The Jockey Club, an honorary director of the Breeders' Cup, and one of the founders of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and one of its first presidents.Born in Cleveland, Georgia, ...	1:42.20
1981	Honey Fox	4	Jean-Luc Samyn Jean-Luc Samyn Jean-Luc Samyn is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.The son of a pastry chef, Jean-Luc Samyn was one of three children. At age thirteen, he went to work for the stable of trainer John Cunnington at Chantilly, a racecourse about north of Paris city center...	Flint S. Schulhofer Flint S. Schulhofer Flint S. "Scotty" Schulhofer was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.Schulhofer was born into a racing family in Aiken, South Carolina, where his father owned a racing stable as well as a riding academy...	Jerome M. Torsney	1:41.40
1980	Producer	4	Jeffrey Fell Jeffrey Fell Jeffrey J. Fell is a retired jockey and a Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee who was also a successful rider in the United States.-References:* * *...	Claude Beniada	R. Gottlieb	1:41.60
1980	The Very One The Very One The Very One is a millionaire American Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned by Helen Polinger and bred by Myrna Firestone and Peter Odell in Kentucky, he is a son of One For All who in turn was sired by Hall of Famer and prominent sire Northern Dancer. He was out of the mare Veruschka sired by...	5	Jorge Velasquez Jorge Velasquez Jorge Velásquez is a thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey.Jorge Velasquez career in thoroughbred racing began in his native Panama but as a teenager moved to the United States...	Stephen A. DiMauro Stephen A. DiMauro Stephen A. "Steve" DiMauro is a retired jockey, Champion trainer and successful breeder and owner in American Thoroughbred horse racing....	Helen Pollinger	1:42.40
1979	Terpsichorist	4	Mike Venezia Mike Venezia Michael Joseph Venezia was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey who was killed in a racing accident....	Woody Stephens Woody Stephens Woody Stephens was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer.Born Woodford Cefis Stephens in Stanton, Kentucky, his younger brother William Ward Stephens also became a successful trainer. Woody Stephens first started in racing as a jockey at age 16 but within a few years switched...	Hickory Tree Stable Alice du Pont Mills Alice Francis du Pont Mills was an American aviatrix, thoroughbred race horse breeder and owner, environmentalist, philanthropist and a member of the prominent du Pont family....	1:43.20
1978	Navajo Princess	4	Craig Perret Craig Perret Craig Perret is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding horses at age five and by seven was riding quarter horses in match races...	Douglas Dodson Douglas Dodson Douglas Allan Dodson was a Champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.Douglas Dodson was born in Pickardville, Alberta, Canada, the son of James Floyd and Emma Dodson. His family moved to a ranch in Elk River, Idaho when he was still a child and as a small boy he learned to ride horses...	V. Green	1:44.00
1977	Lady Singer	4	Angel Cordero, Jr.	Victor J. Nickerson Victor J. Nickerson Victor J. "Lefty" Nickerson was an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer. He embarked on a career as a professional trainer in 1953, working primarily at racetracks in the Northeastern United States...	Walter Haefner Walter Haefner Walter Haefner is a businessman and a Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder in Ireland. He was born in Switzerland.As a young man, Walter Haefner went to work in the auto industry as an employee of the Swiss division of General Motors Corporation...	1:48.40