The Westchester Handicap is a one mile 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...

 at Belmont Park

Belmont Park

Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...

 on Long Island

Long Island

Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. It is run in early May for horses three years old and up. It is a 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...

 race with a purse of $100,000 added.

Originally called the Yorktown Handicap, it was first run at the old Empire City Race Track in 1918. For 1921 it was called the Victory Handicap, but it was again called the Yorktown Handicap until 1939. In 1940 it was given its current name in honor of Westchester County, New York

Westchester County, New York

Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...

. It was held at the Jamaica Racetrack

Jamaica Racetrack

Jamaica Race Course was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club in Jamaica, New York. The track opened on April 27, 1903, a day which featured the inaugural running of the Excelsior Handicap. Eugene D. Wood, one of the founders and largest...

 from 1943 to 1959.

There was no race run in 1932, 1933, nor from 1954 to 1958.

In 2003, Najran equaled the track-record time set by Dr. Fager

Dr. Fager

Dr. Fager was an American a thoroughbred racehorse who had what many consider one of the greatest single racing seasons by any horse in the history of the sport. "The Doctor" was the only horse who ever held four titles in one year...

 in 1968.

Past winners

• 2011 - Caixa Electronica (Cornelio Velasquez
  Cornelio Velásquez
  Cornelio H. Velásquez is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He was introduced to horse racing at age fifteen by trainer Carlos Salazar Guardia in his native Panama and enrolled in the national jockey school...
  
  )
• 2010 - Le Gran Cru
• 2009 - Bribon (FR) (Alan Garcia
  Alan Garcia (jockey)
  Alan Garcia is a thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He was Peru's leading apprentice jockey in 2003 and in that same year he began racing in the United States at the Meadowlands Racetrack where he was also the leading apprentice. His father and grandfather were both jockeys in Peru...
  
  )
• 2008 - Divine Park
  Divine Park
  Divine Park is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He won the 2008 edition of the grade one Metropolitan Handicap, as well as two other graded stakes races: the 2007 Withers Stakes and the 2007 Westchester Handicap Divine Park (foaled March 20, 2004 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred...
  
   (Grassphopper placed, Sightseeing came in third.)
• 2007 - Utopia
• 2006 - Sir Greely
• 2005 - Gygistar
• 2004 - Gygistar (Saarland placed.)
• 2003 - Najran (Saarland placed.)
• 2002 - Free of Love
• 2001 - Cats At Home (Milwaukee Brew
  Milwaukee Brew
  Milwaukee Brew is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known as one of only three horses to ever win back-to-back runnings of the Santa Anita Handicap....
  
   came in third.)
• 2000 - Yankee Victor
• 1999 - Mr. Sinatra
• 1998 - Wagon Limit
• 1997 - Pacific Fleet
• 1996 - Valid Wager
• 1995 - Mr Shawklit (Devil His Due
  Devil His Due
  Devil His Due was multimillionaire American Thoroughbred racehorse and successful sire. Bred in Kentucky by Peter E. Blum and raced under the Blue Ribbon Farm banner, he had a record of 41: 11-12-3 with career earnings of $3,920,405. At the time of his retirement he was fourth on the all time...
  
   placed.)
• 1994 - Virginia Rapids (Colonial Affair
  Colonial Affair
  Colonial Affair is an American thoroughbred stallion racehorse....
  
   placed, Cherokee Run
  Cherokee Run
  Cherokee Run is an American thoroughbred stallion racehorse. He was sired by 1982 Canadian Hall of Fame inductee Runaway Groom, who in turn was a son of leading sire Blushing Groom...
  
   came in third)
• 1993 - Bill of Rapids (Fly So Free
  Fly So Free
  Fly So Free was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. A grandson of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Damascus, Fly So Free was owned by New York City Broadway theatre producer and music publishing company owner Tommy Valando and his wife Elizabeth.In 1990, Fly So Free capped off a...
  
   placed)
• 1992 - Rubiano
• 1991 - Rubiano
• 1990 - Once Wild
• 1989 - Lord of the Night
• 1988 - Faster Than Sound
• 1987 - Kings Swan (hugely popular in New York
  New York
  New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
  
  , raced until the age of 10)
• 1986 - Garthorn
• 1985 - Verbartic
• 1984 - Jacques Tip
• 1983 - Singh Tu
• 1982 - John Casey
• 1981 - Dunhams Gift
• 1980 - Nice Catch
• 1979 - Vencedor
• 1978 - Pumpkin Moonshine
• 1977 - Cinteelo
• 1976 - Double Edge Sword
• 1975 - Step Nicely
• 1974 - Dundee Marmalade (Prove Out, winner of the Jockey Club Gold Cup
  Jockey Club Gold Cup
  The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers Stakes is of the...
  
  , came in third.)
• 1973 - North Sea
• 1972 - Autobiography (American Champion Older Male Horse 1972)
• 1971 - Never Bow
• 1970 - Dewan

• 1969 - Iron Ruler
• 1968 - R. Thomas
• 1967 - Advocator
• 1966 - R. Thomas
• 1965 - Tibaldo
• 1964 - Rocky Link
• 1963 - Sunrise County
• 1962 - Globemaster
• 1961 - Mail Order
• 1960 - Vendetta
• 1959 - Mystic
• 1958 - No Race
• 1957 - No Race
• 1956 - No Race
• 1955 - No Race
• 1954 - No Race
• 1953 - Cold Command (Crafty Admiral placed.)
• 1952 - Battlefield (Tom Fool
  Tom Fool
  Tom Fool was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, a winner of the American Horse of the Year award and a Hall of Fame inductee. He sired the outstanding racehorses Buckpasser and Tim Tam....
  
   placed.)
• 1951 - Bryan G
• 1950 - Palestinian
• 1949 - Three Rings
• 1948 - Better Self (sire of blue hen mares
  Mareš
  Mareš is a Czech surname and may refer to:* František Mareš, Czechoslovak professor of physiology and philosophy, and nationalist politician* Jakub Mareš, Czech football player* Jaroslav Mareš, Czech biologist, traveller and writer....
  
  : Lady Be Good and Aspidistra)
• 1947 - Bridal Flower (American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly, 1946)
• 1946 - Assault
  Assault (horse)
  Assault was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse who won the U.S. Triple Crown in 1946.-Early life:...
  
   (Lucky Draw placed.)
• 1945 - Stymie
  Stymie (horse)
  Stymie was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Stymie was bred by Max Hirsch, and was born on King Ranch, in Texas.As a young horse, Stymie possessed so terrible a disposition that his ability to race was hampered; his trainer did not see much in him...
  
  
• 1944 - Seven Hearts (Stymie
  Stymie (horse)
  Stymie was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Stymie was bred by Max Hirsch, and was born on King Ranch, in Texas.As a young horse, Stymie possessed so terrible a disposition that his ability to race was hampered; his trainer did not see much in him...
  
   came in third.)
• 1943 - Slide Rule
• 1942 - Riverland (Alsab
  Alsab
  Alsab was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. Alsab was voted the 1941 U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Colt and in his three-year-old season in which jockey Basil James rode him to a win in the Preakness Stakes and second-place to Shut Out in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, he...
  
   came in third.)
• 1941 - Gramps
• 1940 - Mioland
  Mioland
  Mioland was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred in Oregon by H. W. Ray, he was out of the mare Iolanda. His German-born sire was Mio D'Arezzo, a winner of the Deutsches St...
  
   (Champion Handicap Horse of 1941)
• 1939 - Third Degree
• 1938 - Great Union
• 1937 - Thorson
• 1936 - Thorson
• 1935 - Good Harvest
• 1934 - King Saxon
• 1933 - No Race
• 1932 - No Race
• 1931 - Dr. Freeland
  Dr. Freeland
  Dr. Freeland was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his win in the Preakness Stakes, the then first leg of the 1929 United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. He was named for Dr. John Freeland, a prominent New York City banker. Trained by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame...
  
   (winner of the 1929 Preakness Stakes
  Preakness Stakes
  The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
  
  )
• 1930 - Questionnaire
• 1929 - Genie
• 1928 - Arcturus
• 1927 - Light Carbine
• 1926 - Cloudland
• 1921 - Yellow Hand
• 1920 - Mad Hatter
  Mad Hatter (horse)
  Mad Hatter was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who was named U.S. Champion Older Male Horse in 1921.-Background:...
  
  
• 1919 - Star Master
• 1918 - George Smith