Massachusetts Handicap

The Massachusetts Handicap, frequently referred to as the "MassCap", was a flat thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and up held annually at Suffolk Downs in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was 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 was never held. The MassCap was stripped of its graded status in 2011 as a result of not being run for two consecutive years.^[2]

Massachusetts Handicap

Ungraded race (discontinued)
Starting gate at Suffolk Downs.
Location	Suffolk Downs East Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Inaugurated	October 16, 1935
Last run	2008
Race type	Thoroughbred – Flat
Website	Official website
Race information
Distance	1⅛ miles (9 furlongs) 1½ miles (12 furlongs) (1970–1971) 1¼ miles (10 furlongs) (1948–1969)
Surface	Dirt Turf (1970–1971)
Track	Left-handed
Qualification	3 years old and up
Weight	Handicap
Purse	$500,000
Bonuses	$200,000 $100,000

History

The Massachusetts Handicap was won by some of the biggest names in Thoroughbred racing history including Hall of Fame inductees Riva Ridge, Stymie, Seabiscuit, Eight Thirty and Triple Crown winner Whirlaway who broke the track record in his 1942 win.^[3] On August 7, 1937, the great Seabiscuit won his seventh consecutive stakes race in track record time for the $70,000 purse of the 1937 MassCap.^[4]

The MassCap had been a graded stakes race from 1973 through 1989. Notables horses such as Riva Ridge, Dixieland Band, and Private Terms all won during this time frame. In 1987, Waquoit beat Broad Brush in a thrilling race. In the 1955 Massachusetts Handicap, jockey Sam Boulmetis, Sr. rode Helioscope to a track record time of 2:01 for 1¼ miles.

The Suffolk Downs track continued to fight for its economic life since closing for a three-year period beginning in 1989. The MassCap was a frequent casualty of those circumstances.^[5]

Later, in an attempt to bring the MassCap back to its former glory, new ownership offered a purse of $500,000 in 1995 and quickly drew the likes of Cigar and Skip Away to the track. By 1997, the race was, once again, a graded race. 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.^[6]

Part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, the winner of the 2008 Massachusetts Handicap -- which would prove to be the final MassCap held -- automatically qualified for the Breeders' Cup Classic.^[7]

Records

Time record:

• 1⅛ miles: 1:47.27 – Skip Away (1998) (new track record)

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)

Winners

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time	Grade
2008	Commentator	7	John Velazquez	Nick Zito	Tracy Farmer	1:48.97	NG
2007	Brass Hat	6	Willie Martinez	William B. Bradley	Fred F. Bradley	1:49.72	NG
2005	– 2006	Race not held
2004	Offlee Wild	4	Edgar Prado	Richard E. Dutrow Jr.	AZ Azalea Stables LLC	1:49.14	II
2003	Race not held
2002	Macho Uno	4	Gary Stevens	Joe Orseno	Stronach Stables	1:50.52	II
2001	Include	4	Jerry D. Bailey	Bud Delp	Robert E. Meyerhoff	1:48.60	II
2000	Running Stag	6	John Velazquez	Philip Mitchell	Richard J. Cohen	1:49.45	II
1999	Behrens	5	Jorge Chavez	H. James Bond	Rudlein Stable	1:49.00	II
1998	Skip Away	5	Jerry D. Bailey	Sonny Hine	Carolyn Hine	1:47.27	III
1997	Skip Away	4	Shane Sellers	Sonny Hine	Carolyn Hine	1:47.80	III
1996	Cigar	6	Jerry D. Bailey	William I. Mott	Allen E. Paulson	1:49.60	NG
1995	Cigar	5	Jerry D. Bailey	William I. Mott	Allen E. Paulson	1:48.60	NG
1990	– 1994	Race not held
1989	Private Terms	4	Kent Desormeaux	Charles H. Hadry	Locust Hill Farm	1:49.40	II
1988	Lost Code	4	Craig Perret	L. William Donovan	Wendover Stable	1:50.20	II
1987	Waquoit	4	Chris McCarron	Guido Federico	Joseph Federico	1:49.00	II
1986	Skip Trial	4	Jean-Luc Samyn	Sonny Hine	Zelda Cohen	1:49.80	II
1985	Bounding Basque	5	Antonio Graell	Woody Sedlacek	Jacques D. Wimpfheimer	1:47.60	II
1984	Dixieland Band	4	Declan Murphy	Charles Peoples	Mary Sharp	1:52.00	II
1983	Let Burn	4	Jack Penney	William W. Perry	Scorpio Stable	1:48.80	II
1982	Silver Supreme	4	Eric Beitia	Richard DeStasio	Michael Berry	1:48.80	III
1981	Soldier Boy	5	Roger Danjean	Dominique Imprescia	Sandy Cooperstein	1:49.40	III
1980	Ring of Light	5	Frank Lovato Jr.	Pancho Martin	Viola Sommer	1:50.40	III
1979	Island Sultan	4	John Ruane	David Hofmans	Buckland Farm	1:48.60	II
1978	Big John Taylor	4	Jacinto Vásquez	Doug Peterson	Karen L. Taylor	1:48.40	II
1977	Blue Times	6	Ángel Cordero Jr.	Laz Barrera	Aaron U. Jones	1:49.40	II
1977	Swinging Hal	4	Steve Pagano	James W. Woods	John Martin	1:49.20	II
1976	Dancing Champ	4	Chris McCarron	Bud Delp	Windfields Farm	1:49.20	II
1975	Stonewalk	4	Ron Turcotte	Daniel J. Lopez	Timberland Stable	1:48.60	II
1974	Billy Come Lately	4	Don MacBeth	John J. Tammaro Jr.	Richard W. Palmer	1:48.60	II
1973	Riva Ridge	4	Ron Turcotte	Lucien Laurin	Meadow Stable	1:48.20	II
1972	Droll Role	4	Eddie Maple	Thomas J. Kelly	John M. Schiff	1:49.20
1971	Chompion	6	Jorge Velásquez	Ivor G. Balding	C. V. Whitney	2:34.40
1970	Semillant	5	Jean Cruguet	Angel Penna Sr.	Sarah Hall	2:37.20
1969	Beau Marker	4	Leroy Moyers	Lucien Laurin	Reginald N. Webster	2:04.60
1968	Out Of The Way	3	John L. Rotz	Max Hirsch	King Ranch	2:02.80
1967	Good Knight	5	Karl Korte	Arnold Scruton Jr.	Arnold Scruton	2:02.40
1966	Fast Count	3	Mike Venezia	Ivor G. Balding	C. V. Whitney	2:01.20
1965	Smart	6	Eldon Nelson	Henry S. Clark	Christiana Stables	2:01.60
1964	Smart	5	Eldon Nelson	Henry S. Clark	Christiana Stables	2:03.20
1963	Crimson Satan	4	Herberto Hinojosa	Gordon R. Potter	Crimson King Farm	2:01.20
1962	Air Pilot	8	Leroy Moyers	Robert E. Holthus	Horace J. Wise	2:01.40
1961	Polylad	5	Eddie Arcaro	Thomas M. Miles	Mrs. Quentin A. S. McKean	2:01.80
1960	Talent Show	5	Ray Broussard	James P. Conway	Ada L. Rice	2:03.60
1959	Air Pilot	5	Jack Leonard	Clyde Troutt	Ada L. Rice	2:02.40
1958	Promised Land	4	Pete D. Anderson	Hirsch Jacobs	Ethel D. Jacobs	2:01.80
1957	Greek Spy	4	Eric Guerin	Sherrill W. Ward	Charles U. Bay	2:03.20
1956	Midafternoon	4	William Boland	Thomas M. Waller	Mrs. Edward E. Robbins	2:04.00
1955	Helioscope	4	Sam Boulmetis Sr.	Frank Caltrone	William G. Helis Jr.	2:01.00
1954	Wise Margin	4	Keith Stuart	Sam N. Edmundson	Samuel Tufano	2:01.60
1953	Royal Vale	5	Jack Westrope	James E. Ryan	Esther D. du Pont	2:02.20
1952	To Market	4	William Boland	Max Hirsch	King Ranch	2:01.40
1951	One Hitter	5	Ted Atkinson	John M. Gaver Sr.	Greentree Stable	2:02.20
1950	Cochise	4	Eddie Arcaro	Virgil W. Raines	Brandywine Stable	2:01.80
1949	First Nighter	4	Joseph Renick	William J. Hirsch	Sam A. Mason II	2:04.60
1948	Beauchef	5	Ruperto Donoso	Robert B. Odom	Andes Stable	2:02.60
1947	Stymie	6	Conn McCreary	Hirsch Jacobs	Ethel D. Jacobs	1:50.00
1946	Pavot	4	Arnold Kirkland	Oscar White	Walter M. Jeffords	1:49.80
1945	First Fiddle	6	Johnny Longden	Eddie Mulrenan	Mrs. E. Mulrenan	1:49.40
1944	First Fiddle	5	Johnny Longden	Eddie Mulrenan	Mrs. E. Mulrenan	1:49.00
1943	Market Wise	5	Vincenzo Nodarse	George W. Carroll	Louis Tufano	1:52.00
1942	Whirlaway	4	George Woolf	Ben A. Jones	Calumet Farm	1:48.20
1941	War Relic	3	Ted Atkinson	Walter A. Carter	Glen Riddle Farm	1:48.60
1940	Eight Thirty	4	Harry Richards	Bert Mulholland	George D. Widener Jr.	1:49.00
1939	Fighting Fox	4	James Stout	James Fitzsimmons	Belair Stud	1:52.00
1938	Menow	3	Nick Wall	Duval A. Headley	Hal Price Headley	1:52.60
1937	Seabiscuit	4	Red Pollard	Tom Smith	Charles S. Howard	1:49.00
1936	Time Supply	5	Raymond Workman	Carl A. Roles	Mrs. Frank A. Carreaud	1:49.80
1935	Top Row	4	George Woolf	Albert A. Baroni	Albert A. Baroni	1:49.40

* Day Court finished first in 1959 but was disqualified and placed second.
* Raced in two divisions in 1977.

References

1. Seven Additional Graded Stakes in 2009
2. Thirteen Fewer Graded Stakes in 2011
3. "Champion Smashes Track Mark To Win". New York Times. 1942-07-16. Section Sports, page 24. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
4. Champions – The Lives, Times, and Past Performances of America's Greatest Thoroughbreds (2005)
5. Suffolk Downs Economics
6. MassCap Returns
7. 2008 Breeders' Cup Challenge series

External links

• History at MassCap.com