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The Eastern Shore Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run between 1913 and 1949 at Havre de Grace Racetrack, in Havre de Grace, Maryland. A race for two-year-old horses of either sex, it was inaugurated and run for most of its existence as the Eastern Shore Handicap.

Distances

The Eastern Shore Stakes has been run at various distances with thirty of its thirty-seven runnings at its longest distance of six furlongs.

• 6 furlongs: 1916, 1918–1945
• 5.5 furlongs: 1913–1915, 1917, 1948
• 5 furlongs: 1946–1947
• 4.5 furlongs: 1949

Historical notes

On September 23, 1913, Tranid won the five and one-half furlong inaugural running of the Eastern Shore Handicap by two lengths for owner Schuyler L. Parsons. Tranid was trained by William H. Karrick and ridden by his son Kenneth.

Hourless, bred in France and foaled in England, was brought to race in the United States by his prominent owner and breeder, August Belmont Jr. In addition to winning the 1916 Eastern Shore Handicap, he won with three other important stakes for that age group. In 1917, Hourless won the Belmont Stakes and would be recognized as the U.S. Co-Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse.

The 1917 edition of the Eastern Shore Handicap was won by Tippity Witchet, a gelding that would have a very successful career in racing which remarkably only ended twelve years later at age fourteen.

Future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Billy Kelly won the September 21, 1918 Eastern Shore Handicap for owner J. K. L. Ross who had purchased the horse on August 9 from trainer and co-owner William Perkins for $27,500.

Careful won the 1920 edition for owner Walter Salmon and would earn that year's American Co-Champion Two-Year-Old Filly honors. She came back to the Havre de Grace track the following year and defeated male competition again in winning the Chesapeake Stakes for three-year-olds. In 1922 Careful had another brilliant year that saw her named American Champion Older Female Horse.

Morvich kept his 1921 unbeaten streak going with his win in the Eastern Shore Handicap. He finished the year a perfect 11 for 11 and would go on to win the 1922 Kentucky Derby.

The 1930 running was won by Harry Whitney's Equipoise who would be chosen that year's U.S. Champion 2-Year-Old Colt. In a career hampered by serious health problems that limited his racing, Equipoise came back to be the dominant horse in racing during 1932 and 1933, earning American Horse of the Year honors. At stud Equipoise was the Leading sire in North America for 1942 and following its creation, induction into the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame in 1957.

In 1933 High Quest won the Eastern Shore in which he defeated two future Hall of Famers, Discovery and Cavalcade. As a three-year-old, High Quest would win the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series, the Preakness Stakes.

Rosemont won the 1934 race, easily defeating Nellie Flag and twelve other runners. Rosemont would race successfully through age five, most notably winning the 1937 Santa Anita Handicap in which he defeated the great Seabiscuit.

War Admiral won the 1936 Eastern Shore Handicap by five lengths in stakes record time. He returned to the Havre de Grace track on April 26, 1937, and won the Chesapeake Stakes, a final prep before winning the Kentucky Derby. War Admiral went on to become the fourth horse in history to capture the U.S. Triple Crown.

In 1941, Alsab and Cochis raced to a dead heat win. Colchis met with good success in racing, notably winning the 1942 Chesapeake Stakes by beating Alsab who had been voted the 1941 U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old Colt. In the ensuing Triple Crown races, Alsab ran second in the 1942 Kentucky Derby then won the Preakness before finishing second in the Belmont Stakes. His performances for the remainder of the year earned Alsab 1942 U.S. Champion Three-Year-Old Colt honors. He would be inducted into the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame in 1976.

World War II saw racing restricted in the United States and Havre de Grace Racetrack was forced to cancel all of its spring races in 1943. However, arrangements were made to run the Eastern Shore Handicap at Pimlico Race Course. Similarly, with wartime rationing still in place, for both 1944 and 1945 Laurel Park agreed to host the Eastern Shore Handicap.

Noble Impulse's winning time of 1:04 3/5 in the 1948 Eastern Shore broke the track record for 5+1⁄2 furlongs on dirt.

The final running of the Eastern Shore Stakes took place on May 4, 1949, and was won by Quiz Show owned by Frank Rosen's Palatine Stable.

Havre de Grace Racetrack was closed permanently at the end of the 1950 spring meeting.

Records

Speed record:

• 1:11.00 @ 6 furlongs - War Admiral (1936)

Most wins by a jockey:

• 3 - Earl Sande (1918, 1919, 1926)
• 3 - John Gilbert (1934, 1943, 1949)

Most wins by a trainer:

• 3 - H. Guy Bedwell (1918, 1919, 1939)

Most wins by an owner:

• 2 - J. K. L. Ross (1918, 1919)
• 2 - J. Edwin Griffith (1924, 1925)
• 2 - Alfred G. Vanderbilt Jr. (1935, 1937)
• 2 - Bobanet Stable (R. Bruce Livie) (1944, 1945)

Winners

References

1. "Tranid Is Stake Winner". Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives. September 24, 1913. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
2. ^ The Bloodhorse.com Champion's history charts Archived September 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
3. "A Fourteen-Year-Old-Horse Ends Long Racing Career". New York Times, Section XX, page 10. March 3, 1929. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
4. "Ross Stables Field Day". Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives. September 22, 1918. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
5. "Billy Kelly Sold to J. K. L. Ross". Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives. August 11, 1918. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
6. "Havre De Grace Form Chart". Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives. April 24, 1921. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
7. "Careful is First in Eastern Shore". New York Times, Section Sports, page 23. September 26, 1920. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
8. "Morvich is Still Supreme: Undefeated Runnymede Colt Adds Eastern Shore Handicap to His Successes". Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives. September 22, 1921. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
9. "Morvich Goes Under Wire First in Kentucky Derby". The Sacramento Union, page 1. May 14, 1922. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
10. "Equipoise Victor at Havre de Grace". New York times, Section Sports, page 10. September 28, 1930. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
11. "Daily Racing Form Charts". Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives. May 14, 1934. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
12. "Rosemont Annexes 2-year-old stake". New York Times, Section Sports, page 8. September 23, 1934. Archived from the original on May 6, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
13. "Rosemont Wins $100,000 Handicap". The San Bernardino Sun, page 17. February 28, 1937. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
14. "Eastern Shore Handicap Taken by War Admiral in Maryland". New York Times, Section Sports, page 9. September 20, 1936. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
15. "Here and There on the Turf: War Admiral Impresses in Chesapeake". Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives. April 27, 1937. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
16. "War Admiral". PBS - WGBH Educational Foundation. April 21, 2003. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
17. "Alsab's Late Rush Brings Dead Heat". New York Times, Section Sports, page 8. September 14, 1941. Archived from the original on May 6, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
18. "Maryland Race Meets Reduced". Reading Eagle, page 20. February 11, 1943. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
19. "Royal Prince, 23-1, Easily Takes Pimlico's Eastern Shore Handicap". New York Times, Section Sports, page 27. October 29, 1943. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
20. "Bobanet Triumphs in Stake at Laurel; Returning $10.10, He Annexes Eastern Shore". New York Times, Section Financial, page 1. September 10, 1944. Archived from the original on May 6, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
21. "Havre de Grace Results". New York Times, Section Sports, page 4. July 11, 1948. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
22. "Quiz Show Victor In Eastern Shore". Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives. May 5, 1949. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
23. "Havre de Grace Racetrack public information plaque". Maryland Historical Trust & Maryland State Highway Administration. July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.

• Discontinued horse races in the United States
• Flat horse races for two-year-olds
• Open sprint category horse races
• Horse races in Maryland
• Havre de Grace Racetrack
• Recurring sporting events established in 1913
• Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1950