| Class | Discontinued Grade 1 |
|---|---|
| Location | Belmont Park Elmont, New York, United States |
| Race type | Thoroughbred –Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+1⁄8 miles (9 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-years-old & up |
| Weight | Assigned |
TheMarlboro Cup Invitational Handicap was aThoroughbredhorse race first run in September 1973 atBelmont Park inElmont, New York. AGrade 1 race for horses 3 years old and up, it was raced over a distance of1+1⁄8 miles on a dirt track.[1]
The race came into existence as a result of the huge popularity ofSecretariat, who in 1973 became the firstU.S. Triple Crown champion in twenty-five years. Such was the drawing power of Secretariat thatCBS television readily agreed to broadcast the race nationally, a rare occurrence at the time for a non-Triple Crown or traditional "classic" event (such as theTravers Stakes). Originally conceived as amatch race with Secretariat's stablemate and 1972Kentucky Derby winnerRiva Ridge, it was changed to an invitational race that brought together the top horses 3 years of age and older.
In the inaugural race, Secretariat set aworld record time for1+1⁄8 miles on dirt while winning by3+1⁄2 lengths on a track officially rated as being only "good".[2] The race became a very important annual event and 1978 marked the first of only two times in racing history that two American Triple Crown winners met in a single race, withSeattle Slew, the 1977 champion, defeating the 1978 championAffirmed by three lengths. (The two met again in that year's edition of the Jockey Club Gold Cup; Seattle Slew lost by a nose toExceller, while Affirmed finished up the track due to a slipped saddle.)[3]
For many years the Marlboro Cup was part of Belmont Park's Fall Championship meet and the track's owner, theNew York Racing Association, created a Fall Championship Series consisting of theWoodward Stakes, followed by the Marlboro Cup, and then theJockey Club Gold Cup. In 1984,Slew o' Gold became the first horse to win the Fall Series for which he received a $1,000,000 bonus.[4] CBS and laterNBC continued to broadcast the Marlboro into the 1980s.
The advent of theBreeders' Cup races in 1984 marked the beginning of the end for the Marlboro Cup. In 1987, the 15th edition of the race attracted just five horses and was picked up for broadcast oncable television only.[5]
Speed record:
Most wins:
Most wins by ajockey:
Most wins by atrainer:
Most wins by an owner:
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Dist. (Miles) | Time | Win$ | Gr. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Java Gold | 3 | Pat Day | MacKenzie Miller | Rokeby Stables | 1-1/4 m | 2:01.00 | $450,000 | G1 |
| 1986 | Turkoman | 4 | Gary Stevens | Gary F. Jones | Saron Stable | 1-1/4 m | 2:00.00 | $300,000 | G1 |
| 1985 | Chief's Crown | 3 | Don MacBeth | Roger Laurin | Star Crown Stable (Estate of Carl Rosen) | 1-1/4 m | 2:01.20 | $300,000 | G1 |
| 1984 | Slew o' Gold | 4 | Angel Cordero Jr. | John O. Hertler | Equusequity Stable (Jim & Sally Hill, Mickey & Karen Taylor) | 1-1/4 m | 2:02.40 | $240,000 | G1 |
| 1983 | Highland Blade | 5 | Jacinto Vasquez | David A. Whiteley | Pen-Y-Bryn Farm | 1-1/4 m | 2:01.20 | $240,000 | G1 |
| 1982 | Lemhi Gold | 4 | Jacinto Vasquez | Laz Barrera | Aaron U. Jones | 1-1/4 m | 2:01.00 | $240,000 | G1 |
| 1981 | Noble Nashua | 3 | Ruben Hernandez | Jose A. Martin | Flying Zee Stable (Carl Lizza, Jr. & Herbert Hochreiter) | 1-1/4 m | 2:00.60 | $240,000 | G1 |
| 1980 | Winter's Tale | 4 | Jeffrey Fell | MacKenzie Miller | Rokeby Stables | 1-1/8 m | 1:47.00 | $180,000 | G1 |
| 1979 | Spectacular Bid | 3 | Bill Shoemaker | Bud Delp | Hawksworth Farm (Harry & Teresa Meyerhoff) | 1-1/8 m | 1:46.60 | $180,000 | G1 |
| 1978 | Seattle Slew | 4 | Angel Cordero Jr. | Douglas R. Peterson | Karen & Mickey Taylor | 1-1/8 m | 1:45.80 | $180,000 | G1 |
| 1977 | Proud Birdie | 4 | Jacinto Vasquez | James W. Maloney | Marablue Farm (A. Douglas Henderson) | 1-1/4 m | 2:00.80 | $167,760 | G1 |
| 1976 | Forego | 6 | Bill Shoemaker | Frank Y. Whiteley Jr. | Lazy F Ranch | 1-1/4 m | 2:00.00 | $170,220 | G1 |
| 1975 | Wajima | 3 | Braulio Baeza | Stephen A. DiMauro | East-West Stable (Zenya Yoshida, James A. Scully, Harold I. Snyder, James Welch) | 1-1/4 m | 2:00.00 | $150,000 | G1 |
| 1974 | Big Spruce | 5 | Michael Hole | Victor J. Nickerson | Elmendorf Farm | 1-1/8 m | 1:46.60 | $150,000 | |
| 1973 | Secretariat | 3 | Ron Turcotte | Lucien Laurin | Meadow Stable | 1-1/8 m | 1:45.40 | $150,000 |