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During the July 26, 1937 racing program that included the
American Legion Handicap, tragedy struck the Saratoga facilities when, during a severe electrical storm, a bolt of lightning killed one horse and knocked eight others unconscious. The lightning struck the barn housing Thoroughbreds owned by
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open to horses of either sex age three and older. It was contested over a distance of seven furlongs on dirt, except for 1948 and 1949 when it was set at one mile (8 furlongs). The race was run for thirty-two years from 1927 through 1948.
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The thirty-second and final running of the
American Legion Handicap took place on August 8, 1958. On a sloppy racetrack, the five-year-old horse Reneged easily won by five lengths, beating eight other runners.
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The inaugural running took place on August 6, 1927 and was won Cheops, a three-year-old brown colt owned by the very prominent
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also became a fund raising event to support the war effort. In 1943 government
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1390:"One Horse Killed and Eight Knocked Out by Lightning Bolt as Saratoga Opens"
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1436:"Arise Beats Favored Guillotine by 2 Lengths in American Legion Handicap"
1478:"Reneged Scores by Five Lengths in American Legion Handicap at Saratoga"
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Pathé News video - Airflame" wins
American Legion Handicap at Saratoga
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Woodley Lane Farm (Steven Wilson, Joseph
Strauss, Lafayette Ward)
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Addison Stable (Harry
Addison, Sr. & W. A. "Jack" Addison)
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Airflame whose winning time broke an eighteen-year-old
1438:. New York Times, Section Sports, page 24. 1950-08-12
1371:. New York Times, Section Sports, page 1. 1927-08-07
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156:meant the race had to be hosted that year by the
1535:Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1948
1459:. Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. 1983-01-01
1530:Recurring sporting events established in 1927
1369:"American Legion Handicap Captured by Cheops"
8:
1505:Discontinued horse races in New York (state)
19:
1545:1948 disestablishments in New York (state)
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144:. The race was created to honor American
280:3 - Phillip M. Walker (1932, 1933, 1935)
1540:1927 establishments in New York (state)
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18:
1480:. New York Times, page 18. 1958-08-09
1392:. New York Times, page 16. 1937-07-27
1202:John William Young "J. W. Y." Martin
878:Barrington Stable (Thomas M. Howell)
7:
1457:"Arise, Hall of Fame Inductee 1983"
204:Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
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1510:Open mile category horse races
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228: : Greek Warrior (1945)
238:2 - Microphone (1932, 1933)
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185:Alfred G. Vanderbilt Jr.'s
129:Saratoga Springs, New York
38:Saratoga Springs, New York
183:The 1938 race was won by
24:
1059:Alfred G. Vanderbilt Jr.
1001:Alfred G. Vanderbilt Jr.
941:Alfred G. Vanderbilt Jr.
751:Kenneth L. W. Force Jr.
306:Alfred G. Vanderbilt Jr.
117:American Legion Handicap
25:Discontinued stakes race
20:American Legion Handicap
241:2 - Nedayr (1939, 1940)
121:Thoroughbred horse race
754:George G. Gilbert Jr.
285:Most wins by an owner:
101:Three-year-olds and up
1417:, page 34. 1938-07-26
1086:Mrs. W. Deering Howe
443:George D. Widener Jr.
438:Winbert F. Mulholland
1515:Saratoga Race Course
1411:"Busting the Record"
1265:Idle Hour Stock Farm
971:Willis Sharpe Kilmer
967:William A. Crawford
785:William G. Helis Sr.
536:Betty Block Roberts
178:Willis Sharpe Kilmer
154:wartime restrictions
125:Saratoga Race Course
34:Saratoga Race Course
1415:New York Daily News
1260:Herbert J. Thompson
694:Sydney S. Schupper
504:Sylvester E. Veitch
194:The Canadian owned
21:
1171:Phillip M. Walker
1143:Phillip M. Walker
1083:Phillip M. Walker
661:George E. Roberts
411:Christiana Stables
308:(1936, 1938, 1940)
301:(1934, 1944, 1955)
294:(1928, 1930, 1941)
266:(1952, 1954, 1956)
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1297:Joseph E. Widener
1233:Joseph E. Widener
1054:Joseph H. Stotler
996:Joseph H. Stotler
911:Joseph E. Widener
906:Daniel E. Stewart
848:Josephine Grimes
814:John M. Gaver Sr.
664:Henry W. Collins
470:John M. Gaver Sr.
292:Joseph E. Widener
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1117:Greentree Stable
819:Greentree Stable
780:William M. Booth
725:W. Arnold Hanger
691:Anthony Pascuma
632:James C. Bentley
603:F. Ambrose Clark
569:F. Ambrose Clark
559:Hedley Woodhouse
499:Hedley Woodhouse
475:Greentree Stable
433:Hedley Woodhouse
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299:Greentree Stable
264:Hedley Woodhouse
162:Elmont, New York
136:Historical notes
119:was an American
66:Race information
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1329:Rancocas Stable
1199:William Irvine
1112:William Brennan
1080:Robert Merritt
862:Scotland Light
747:Arnold Kirkland
598:J. Dallet Byers
593:Warren Mehrtens
564:J. Dallet Byers
376:Homer C. Pardue
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271:Most wins by a
253:Most wins by a
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142:Rancocas Stable
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1343:External links
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200:Travers Stakes
172:plus those of
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109:$ 20,000 added
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1139:Silvio Coucci
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869:Conn McCreary
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834:With Regards
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530:Bennie Green
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219:Speed record:
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160:racetrack in
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98:Qualification
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1520:Belmont Park
1482:. Retrieved
1472:
1461:. Retrieved
1451:
1440:. Retrieved
1430:
1419:. Retrieved
1405:
1394:. Retrieved
1384:
1373:. Retrieved
1363:
1324:Sam Hildreth
1248:Buddy Bauer
1167:John Gilbert
1100:Black Buddy
1044:Good Gamble
963:George Seabo
809:Eddie Arcaro
740:Scholarship
720:Horatio Luro
465:Ted Atkinson
401:Eldon Nelson
371:Bobby Ussery
284:
283:
270:
269:
252:
251:
248:(1951, 1952)
232:
231:
224:1:22.20 @ 7
218:
217:
208:
193:
189:track record
182:
174:Anna Corning
166:
158:Belmont Park
150:World War II
146:war veterans
139:
116:
114:
56:Thoroughbred
1255:Mack Garner
1223:Mack Garner
1216:Mr. Sponge
1160:Microphone
1132:Microphone
1050:Lee Fallon
992:Lee Fallon
933:Basil James
801:Devil Diver
687:Eric Guerin
394:Ricci Tavi
148:but during
93:left-handed
60:Flat racing
44:Inaugurated
1499:Categories
1484:2020-04-09
1463:2020-04-08
1442:2020-04-09
1421:2020-04-08
1396:2020-04-07
1375:2020-04-09
1355:References
1287:Earl Sande
1188:Con Amore
937:Lee McCoy
679:Miss Disco
524:Eatontown
426:Ambergris
233:Most wins:
206:in 1983.
170:King Ranch
16:Horse race
1074:Only One
986:Airflame
901:Don Meade
585:Tea-Maker
551:Tea-Maker
491:Fisherman
458:Gold Box
246:Tea-Maker
52:Race type
1336:1:25.40
1304:1:39.20
1272:1:36.60
1240:1:24.20
1208:1:24.00
1180:1:27.20
1152:1:27.20
1124:1:24.80
1092:1:25.00
1066:1:24.20
1036:1:25.40
1016:Jay Jay
1008:1:23.20
978:1:24.00
948:1:23.60
918:1:25.00
884:1:24.20
854:1:23.80
826:1:23.60
792:1:22.20
760:1:23.40
732:1:24.40
708:Pujante
700:1:25.60
670:1:25.40
650:Manyunk
642:1:23.60
610:1:25.40
576:1:25.60
542:1:25.00
516:1:24.00
482:1:24.80
450:1:24.80
418:1:25.00
386:1:24.00
364:Reneged
226:furlongs
76:furlongs
71:Distance
30:Location
1312:Cheops
1280:Osmand
956:Nedayr
926:Nedayr
336:Trainer
313:Winners
273:trainer
214:Records
82:Surface
332:Jockey
324:Winner
255:jockey
1309:1927
1277:1928
1245:1929
1213:1930
1185:1931
1157:1932
1129:1933
1097:1934
1071:1935
1041:1936
1013:1937
983:1938
953:1939
923:1940
893:Roman
889:1941
859:1942
831:1943
797:1944
765:1945
737:1946
705:1947
675:1948
647:1949
619:Arise
615:1950
581:1951
547:1952
521:1953
487:1954
455:1955
423:1956
391:1957
361:1958
349:Miles
344:Dist.
340:Owner
196:Arise
106:Purse
90:Track
1333:7 F
1301:8 F
1269:8 F
1237:7 F
1205:7 F
1177:7 F
1149:7 F
1121:7 F
1089:7 F
1063:7 F
1033:7 F
1005:7 F
975:7 F
945:7 F
915:7 F
881:7 F
851:7 F
823:7 F
789:7 F
757:7 F
729:7 F
697:7 F
667:7 F
639:7 F
607:7 F
573:7 F
539:7 F
513:7 F
479:7 F
447:7 F
415:7 F
383:7 F
355:Time
320:Year
304:3 -
297:3 -
290:3 -
262:3 -
244:2 -
115:The
85:Dirt
47:1927
328:Age
127:in
123:at
1501::
1413:.
1315:3
1283:4
1251:5
1219:3
1191:4
1163:3
1135:4
1103:3
1077:4
1047:4
1019:4
989:4
959:4
929:5
897:4
865:3
837:4
805:5
771:3
743:4
711:6
683:4
653:4
623:4
589:8
555:9
527:7
495:3
461:3
429:4
397:4
367:5
191:.
180:.
164:.
74:7
58:-
36:,
1487:.
1466:.
1445:.
1424:.
1399:.
1378:.
351:)
347:(
275::
257::
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