Potomac Handicap

Potomac Handicap
Discontinued stakes race
LocationHavre de Grace Racetrack
Havre de Grace, Maryland
Inaugurated1914-1948
Race typeThoroughbred - Flat racing
Race information
Distance1⅛ miles (9 furlongs)
TrackDirt, left-handed
QualificationThree-years-old

The Potomac Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in the latter part of September at Havre de Grace Racetrack in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Open to three-year-old horses, it was raced on dirt at a distance of a mile-and-a-sixteenth.

First run at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland, it was restricted to two-year-olds and run at a distance of one mile. The 1918 running was won by Calumet Farm's two-year-old colt, Be Frank, ridden by Lavelle Ensor. [1] The following year the race moved to the Havre de Grace Racetrack and was changed to an event for three-year-olds and set at a distance of a mile-and-a-sixteenth.

The Potomac Handicap was won by four National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inductees including 1919 U.S. Triple Crown winner Sir Barton and Man o' War who won the 1920 edition. Despite being assigned highweight of 138 pounds, Man o' War set a new Havre de Grace track record for a mile-and-a-sixteenth.

Venue:

  • Laurel : 1916-1918, 1944-1948
  • Pimlico: 1943
  • Havre de Grace Racetrack: 1919-1942