| Discontinued Grade 1 stakes race | |
| Location | Belmont Park, Elmont, New York, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1969 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 1/8 miles |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds and up |
The Governor Stakes was an American Grade 1 Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island, New York. Held in early September, the race was open to horses age three and older and was contested on dirt over a distance of one and one-eighth miles (9 furlongs).
Inaugurated in 1969, the event was run as the Governor Nicholls Stakes for its first two years.[1] The colonial governor was honored as the man who in 1665 established a horse racing track on Long Island's Hempstead Plains. The trophy presentation to the winning owner of the inaugural running was made by Frederick Fitzpatrick Rainsford, deputy Consul-General of the British consulate.[2]
New York's Roosevelt Raceway also honored the Colonial Governor with a harness racing event named the Governor Richard Nicholls Pace.[3]
Following the 1973 implementation of the Thoroughbred graded stakes race system in North America, the Governor Stakes was awarded Grade 1 status, giving it the highest ranking possible which was maintained until the race was discontinued following the 1975 edition.