Top Money winners through 1920

Calzone Lord · #1 11-30-2011, 01:51 PM

This lists the record of the top 6 money winning horses through the year 1920 of America, England, and Australia.

It's amazing how certain years the purses in the US were gigantic ... and in other years ... everyone was pretty much running for peanuts by comparison.

Obviously some form of gambling reform took place in the USA between the late 00's through the mid 10's... because purses dropped off sharply for a period. The real money in the US was in 2-year-old racing at the time... where England was obviously 3-year-old racing.

Riot · #2 11-30-2011, 03:35 PM

There were lots of anti-gambling measures around, but in 1909 a strict anti-gambling measure passed in NY (the heart of horse racing) that stopped racing in 1910. Blooded stock was worthless here. They all were sold off to Europe. Didn't restart racing here until 1913. There weren't even any big organized horse sales here between 1910 and 1915 or so.

pointman · #3 11-30-2011, 03:39 PM

The anti-gambling sentiment in the U.S. caused a drop of the number of race tracks in the U.S. from 314 in 1890 to 25 in 1908. This likely explains the drop in purses.

TheSpyder · #4 11-30-2011, 04:33 PM

Also looks like the horses back then didn't run many times per year. I guess the stock was weakened by the increase in auto emmissions into the air, or something like that!

Calzone Lord · #5 11-30-2011, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSpyder

Also looks like the horses back then didn't run many times per year. I guess the stock was weakened by the increase in auto emmissions into the air, or something like that!

Isinglass made over $291,000 in the 1800's without ever having started more than five times in a racing season ...

He's like the Ghostzapper of 1890's Europe during the era when Plunger Walton and his crew were running wild in the betting rings.

Calzone Lord · #6 11-30-2011, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pointman

The anti-gambling sentiment in the U.S. caused a drop of the number of race tracks in the U.S. from 314 in 1890 to 25 in 1908. This likely explains the drop in purses.

It's also clear that the drop in purse money led to horses being campaigned MUCH harder.

Here is a horse named Jack Atkin ...

Leading 4yo's by money won in 1908:

Jack Atkin won 14 of 26 races with 8 second place finishes -- including wins in the Met Mile and Carter Handicap. He was a clear 2nd in purse money won behind Ballot (who was the dam sire of Calumet's legendary sire Bull Lea)

The next two years -- Jack Atkin was the leading money winner among older horses both times.

Winning 13 or more races for three straight years and being among the very top in purses won -- he must have been a very sound and tough quality horse.

Calzone Lord · #7 11-30-2011, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riot

There were lots of anti-gambling measures around, but in 1909 a strict anti-gambling measure passed in NY (the heart of horse racing) that stopped racing in 1910. Blooded stock was worthless here. They all were sold off to Europe. Didn't restart racing here until 1913. There weren't even any big organized horse sales here between 1910 and 1915 or so.

This would probably explain why Man O' War's foal crop was as small as it was.

MOW was born in 1917 -- at a time when purses had been depressed very badly in the US for more than ten years... they were just starting to turn around in '17 and '18.

Linny · #8 11-30-2011, 10:16 PM

Futurities were all the rage in the late 1800's. The (Belmont) Futurity had a huge purse supported by foal nominations and continuing eligibility payments. Even more than the BCJ today, the purse for that one race was massive compared the other races in the division. I think it was in the Futurity that Domino made so much of his 2yo earnings. My guess is that Colin and Sysonby both probably won the Futurity as well.
When you consider what the average paycheck was then and even how much a very good 3yo could make, it is amazing how much the Futurity was worth.

To get an idea of purses, check out the NYRA sites stakes histories pages. It shows the purses annually for it continuing features. It's also a good way (as is reading Champions) to get a good idea of what races were the really important ones. In pre-slots days, the money and the quality were more on par than they are today.

cmorioles · #9 11-30-2011, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pointman

The anti-gambling sentiment in the U.S. caused a drop of the number of race tracks in the U.S. from 314 in 1890 to 25 in 1908. This likely explains the drop in purses.

We need a drop in tracks like that now!

Linny · #10 12-01-2011, 08:44 AM

When Domino won the Futurity in 1893 the purse was $50k. The American Derby the next year was $25K and the Suburban was workth $6200.

When Sysonby won the Futurity in 1904 the purse was $48k. He won the Metropolitan in his 3yo debut with a $12k purse. Among the other NY fixtures he won in 1905 were the Realization ($20k), the Great Rupublic at Saratoga ($50k) and the Annual Champion worth $25k.

Soon after the purses plunged. Colin's Futurity in '07 was worth "only" $28k and while still far ahead of most purses it represented a huge decline. By the time Man O' War won in 1919, the purse was back up to $31k. The Realization was up to $16k and the Traer which had been restored to prominence was at $12k.

A fw years later ('22) Zev was second in the Futurity with a $55k purse.