The Narragansett Special was an American Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...

 run annually at Narragansett Race Track

Narragansett Race Track

Narragansett Park was an American race track for Thoroughbred horse races in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. On May 18, 1934 a special election was held, where by a 4-1 margin, pari-mutual wagering was made legal. Walter E. O'Hara formed the Narragansett Racing Association and was named president and...

 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island

Pawtucket, Rhode Island

Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 71,148 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth largest city in the state.-History:...

. At the time of its inaugural running in 1935, the Narragansett Special offered a purse of $25,000 making it New England's richest horse race
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0712F83A58177A93C3AA178BD95F408385F9 Open to horses age three and older, it was contested on dirt over a distance of 1³/16 miles (9.5 furlong

Furlong

A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....

s).

An instant success, the race drew the top horses from across the United States. In 1937, Mrs. Ella K. Bryson's gelding

Gelding

A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...

, Calumet Dick, upset runnerup Snark and national superstar, Seabiscuit

Seabiscuit

Seabiscuit was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse in the United States. From an inauspicious start, Seabiscuit became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many Americans during the Great Depression...

, who finished third. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sZ0KAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SU0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5767,1268003&dq=calumet+dick+ella+bryson&hl=en The race was won by racing stars such as future U. S. Racing Hall of Fame

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...

 inductees Challedon

Challedon

Challedon was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred in Maryland by William L. Brann and Robert S. Castle, he raced under the colors of their Branncastle Farm....

 (1939) http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70716F93C5A11728DDDAA0894D1405B898FF1D3 and Triple Crown

United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing

In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...

 winner, Whirlaway

Whirlaway

Whirlaway was an American champion thoroughbred racehorse.The chestnut horse was sired by English Derby winner Blenheim II, out of the broodmare Dustwhirl. Whirlaway was bred at Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky....

 (1942). http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0F10FE3458167B93C1A81782D85F468485F9

By the late 1950s the big tracks in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 were attracting the best horses with much larger purses and the Narragansett Race Track and the Special declined in prestige. In 1963, another future Hall of Fame horse, Gun Bow

Gun Bow

Gun Bow was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse. Owned and bred by cosmetics tycoon Elizabeth Arden at her Maine Chance Farm, Gun Bow was sired by Gun Shot, a son of Hyperion, the 1933 Epsom Derby winner and a six-time leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland. He was out of the mare...

, won the final edition of the race.

Records

Speed record:

• 1:54.60 - Lucky Draw (1946) (World record
  World record
  A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
  
   for dirt)

Most wins:

• 2 - Donor (1948, 1949)

Most wins by a jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

:

• 2 - Ted Atkinson
  Ted Atkinson
  Theodore Francis Atkinson was a Canadian-born American thoroughbred horse racing jockey, inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957....
  
   (1941, 1951, 1956)

Most wins by an owner:

• 2 - Greentree Stable
  Greentree Stable
  Greentree Stable, in Red Bank, New Jersey, was a major American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm established in 1914 by Payne Whitney of the Whitney family of New York City. Payne Whitney operated a horse farm and stable at Saratoga Springs, New York with his brother Harry Payne...
  
   (1940, 1951)
• 2 - W. Deering Howe (1948, 1949)
• 2 - Alfred G. Vanderbilt II
  Alfred G. Vanderbilt II
  Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt II was a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, a son of the first Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt who died a hero in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania. His mother, Margaret Emerson, was one of America's wealthiest women and most sought-after hostesses, operating at least...
  
   (1954, 1956)

Winners

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
1963	Gun Bow Gun Bow Gun Bow was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse. Owned and bred by cosmetics tycoon Elizabeth Arden at her Maine Chance Farm, Gun Bow was sired by Gun Shot, a son of Hyperion, the 1933 Epsom Derby winner and a six-time leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland. He was out of the mare...	3	Steve Brooks Steve Brooks (jockey) Steve Brooks was an American Hall of Fame jockey. The son of a horse dealer, he was born in rural Nebraska near the village of Culbertson...	Edward A. Neloy Edward A. Neloy Edward Albert "Eddie" Neloy was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. At age fourteen, he began working at a racetrack then joined the United States Army during World War II...	Gedney Farm	1:58.80
1962	Wise Flushing	4	Manuel Ycaza Manuel Ycaza Manuel Ycaza is a retired United States Racing Hall of Fame jockey who led the way for Latin American jockeys in the United States....	not found	Gustave A. Smith	1:58.80
1961	Count Amber	4	James Davern, Jr.	Lucien Laurin Lucien Laurin Lucien Laurin was a French-Canadian jockey and Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer.-Life and career:...	Reginald N. Webster Reginald N. Webster Reginald N. Webster was an American businessman and Thoroughbred racehorse owner.Born in Dublin, Ireland, Reginald Webster's family emigrated to the United States when he was a small boy. Pursuing a career in business, he was president of precision parts manufacturer Standard-Thomson Corp. of...	1:58.40
1960	Reinzi	5	James Combest	E. Barry Ryan	J. Frederic Gagel	1:57.40
1959	Net Ball	4	Bill Skuse	Mike Freeman	Warner G. Morton	1:57.00
1958	Sharpsburg	5	Howard Grant Howard Grant (jockey) Howard Grant is a retired American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began his jockey apprenticeship as a seventeen-year-old at Wheeling Downs, West Virginia and won his first race on October 9, 1956 at Cranwood Park Race Course in Cleveland, Ohio...	Warren A. Croll, Jr. Warren A. Croll, Jr. Warren A. "Jimmy" Croll, Jr. was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred race horse trainer.Croll was born in 1920 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. After finishing high school, he attended the University of Pennsylvania with the intention of becoming a veterinarian but left to pursue his passion for...	Roy E. Faircloth	1:57.00
1957	Oh Johnny	4	William Boland William Boland William N. "Bill" Boland is a retired American Hall of Fame jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing....	Norman R. McLeod	Mrs. Wallace Gilroy	1:57.60
1956	Find	6	Ted Atkinson Ted Atkinson Theodore Francis Atkinson was a Canadian-born American thoroughbred horse racing jockey, inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957....	William C. Winfrey William C. Winfrey William C. "Bill" Winfrey was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Bill Winfrey was born Colin Dickard but after the passing of his father was adopted by Hall of Fame trainer, G. Carey Winfrey...	Alfred G. Vanderbilt II Alfred G. Vanderbilt II Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt II was a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, a son of the first Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt who died a hero in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania. His mother, Margaret Emerson, was one of America's wealthiest women and most sought-after hostesses, operating at least...	1:57.00
1955	Wise Margin	5	Bobby Ussery Bobby Ussery Robert Nelson "Bobby" Ussery is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. His first race as a professional jockey came at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans on November 22, 1951 where he rode Reticule to victory in the Thanksgiving Handicap. By the end of the decade...	Sam N. Edmundson	Sam Tufano	1:58.40
1954	Social Outcast	4	Eric Guerin Eric Guerin Oliver Eric Guerin is an American Hall of Fame jockey.Eric Guerin was born in Maringouin, Louisiana, in Cajun backwater country, twenty-four miles west of Baton Rouge...	William C. Winfrey William C. Winfrey William C. "Bill" Winfrey was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Bill Winfrey was born Colin Dickard but after the passing of his father was adopted by Hall of Fame trainer, G. Carey Winfrey...	Alfred G. Vanderbilt II Alfred G. Vanderbilt II Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt II was a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, a son of the first Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt who died a hero in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania. His mother, Margaret Emerson, was one of America's wealthiest women and most sought-after hostesses, operating at least...	1:58.00
1953	Sailed Away	4	Anthony DeSpirito Anthony DeSpirito Anthony "Tony" DeSpirito was a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey who found instant fame when he won the national riding title in 1952 as an apprentice in his first full year of racing....	not found	Vigilant Stable	1:56.60
1952	General Staff	4	James Stout James Stout James Stout was an American Hall of Fame thoroughbred horse racing jockey.Known as "Jimmy," he began working at a racetrack as a stable boy then in 1930 became a professional jockey. Stout became most famous riding for Belair Stud and trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons. He rode Seabiscuit in his first...	James McGee	Larry MacPhail Larry MacPhail Leland Stanford "Larry" MacPhail, Sr. was an American lawyer, and an executive and innovator in Major League Baseball.-Biography:...	1:56.40
1951	Hall of Fame	3	Ted Atkinson Ted Atkinson Theodore Francis Atkinson was a Canadian-born American thoroughbred horse racing jockey, inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957....	John M. Gaver, Sr. John M. Gaver, Sr. John Milton Gaver, Sr. was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.Born in Mt. Airy, Maryland, John Gaver graduated from Princeton University then worked as a prep school language teacher before eventually embarking on a career in Thoroughbred racing. In 1929, James G...	Greentree Stable Greentree Stable Greentree Stable, in Red Bank, New Jersey, was a major American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm established in 1914 by Payne Whitney of the Whitney family of New York City. Payne Whitney operated a horse farm and stable at Saratoga Springs, New York with his brother Harry Payne...	1:56.80
1950	De Luxe	4	Eugene Rodriguez Eugene A. Rodriguez Eugene A. Rodriguez was a Cuban-born jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.Born in Matanzas, Cuba, Rodriguez began his career in racing at Oriental Park in Havana, a racetrack which in 1980 would induct him in their Hall of Fame...	not found	W. True Davis, Jr.	1:57.60
1949	Donor	5	Warren Mehrtens Warren Mehrtens Warren Mehrtens was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey best known for winning the U.S. Triple Crown in 1946....	George P. Odom	W. Deering Howe	1:56.40
1948	Donor	4	Arnold Kirkland	George P. Odom	W. Deering Howe	1:57.40
1947	no race
1946	Lucky Draw	5	Conn McCreary Conn McCreary Conn N. McCreary was a United States Hall of Fame jockey and trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing who won four American Classic Races....	Bert Mulholland Winbert F. Mulholland Winbert F. "Bert" Mulholland was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse racing trainer.Born in Lexington, Kentucky, the American heartland for Thoroughbred horse breeding, Bert Mulholland began his career in racing as an exercise rider for his uncle, W. C. "Farmer Bill" Scully.In 1923 Bert...	George D. Widener, Jr. George D. Widener, Jr. George Dunton Widener, Jr. was an American businessman and thoroughbred racehorse owner; one of only five people ever designated "Exemplars of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.-Biography:...	1:54.60
1945	Westminster	4	Willie Garner Willie Garner Willie Garner is a Scottish former footballer known for playing for Aberdeen.-Career:Willie Garner was born in Stirling in 1955. He signed for Aberdeen from Campsie Black Watch in 1975. He was part of the team which won the Scottish League Cup in 1976. He left Aberdeen in 1981 to join Celtic,...	James McGee	Morris Wexler	1:58.00
1944	Paperboy	6	Warren Mehrtens Warren Mehrtens Warren Mehrtens was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey best known for winning the U.S. Triple Crown in 1946....	Jimmy Coleman	W-L Ranch Co. W-L Ranch Co. W-L Ranch Co. was an American Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding partnership between Hollywood film studio executive, Harry M. Warner and film director, Mervyn Le Roy. Warner's daughter, Doris, was married to Mervyn Leroy....	1:56.00
1943	Market Wise Market Wise Market Wise was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Cary T. Grayson, his dam was On Hand, and his sire was the 1933 Kentucky Derby winner, Brokers Tip. He was purchased by New York contractor Louis Tufano for a meager $1,000. -1941:Trained by George W. Carroll, Market Wise raced...	5	Johnny Longden Johnny Longden John Eric Longden was an American Hall of Fame jockey. He was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England but his father wanted to build a better life for his family so in 1909 emigrated to Canada, settling in Taber, Alberta. By 1912 Longden Sr. had saved enough money to send for his wife and young son...	George W. Carroll	Louis Tufano	1:55.40
1942	Whirlaway Whirlaway Whirlaway was an American champion thoroughbred racehorse.The chestnut horse was sired by English Derby winner Blenheim II, out of the broodmare Dustwhirl. Whirlaway was bred at Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky....	4	George Woolf George Woolf George Monroe Woolf , nicknamed "The Ice Man", was a Canadian-born thoroughbred race horse jockey and the namesake of the annual jockey's award given by the United States Jockeys' Guild....	Ben A. Jones Ben A. Jones Benjamin Allyn Jones was a thoroughbred horse trainer.Born in Parnell, Missouri, Ben Jones went into the business of breeding and training of thoroughbreds during the first decade of the 20th century, racing his horses on small circuits in the American West and in Mexico...	Calumet Farm Calumet Farm Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of Lexington's blue grass country, the finest horse breeding region in...	1:56.40
1941	War Relic War Relic War Relic was an American Thoroughbred racehorse.A homebred of Samuel D. Riddle, his sire was the great Man o' War who was ranked #1 in the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century...	3	Ted Atkinson Ted Atkinson Theodore Francis Atkinson was a Canadian-born American thoroughbred horse racing jockey, inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957....	Walter A. Carter	Glen Riddle Farm Glen Riddle Farm Glen Riddle Farm was a large horse farm in Berlin, Maryland in the United States. Located on what today is Route 50 between Ocean City and Berlin, it was owned by a wealthy textile businessman Samuel D...	1:57.20
1940	Hash	4	Eddie Arcaro Eddie Arcaro George Edward Arcaro , known professionally as Eddie Arcaro, was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Triple Crown twice...	John M. Gaver, Sr. John M. Gaver, Sr. John Milton Gaver, Sr. was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.Born in Mt. Airy, Maryland, John Gaver graduated from Princeton University then worked as a prep school language teacher before eventually embarking on a career in Thoroughbred racing. In 1929, James G...	Greentree Stable Greentree Stable Greentree Stable, in Red Bank, New Jersey, was a major American thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm established in 1914 by Payne Whitney of the Whitney family of New York City. Payne Whitney operated a horse farm and stable at Saratoga Springs, New York with his brother Harry Payne...	1:57.00
1939	Challedon Challedon Challedon was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred in Maryland by William L. Brann and Robert S. Castle, he raced under the colors of their Branncastle Farm....	3	Harry Richards Harry C. Richards Harry Clayton Richards was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey and the first president of the Jockeys' Guild. Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Arcaro said Richards: "was strong in character and who maintained a steady belief in our organization [Jockeys' Guild]...	Louis J. Schaefer	William L. Brann William L. Brann William Leavitt Brann was an American businessman and Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder.Born in Washington, Indiana, William Brann graduated from Indiana University and then moved to New York City where he founded the highly successful W. L...  & Robert S. Castle	1:56.60
1938	Stagehand Stagehand (horse) Stagehand was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the only horse to ever win the Santa Anita Handicap and the Santa Anita Derby in the same year....	3	Jack Westrope Jack Westrope Jack Gordon Westrope was an American Hall of Fame jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing.Born in Baker, Montana, Westrope was the son of racehorse owner/trainer W. T. Westrope. Jack was only 12 years old when he rode his first winner on a small track in Lemmon, South Dakota...	Earl Sande Earl Sande Earl H. Sande was an American Hall of Fame jockey and thoroughbred horse trainer.Born in Groton, South Dakota, Earl Sande started out as a bronco buster in the early 1900s but then became a successful American quarter horse rider before switching to thoroughbred horse racing in 1918...	Col. Maxwell Howard	1:56.20
1937	Calumet Dick	5	Hilton Dabson	Harry Baker	Ella K. Bryson	1:57.00
1936	Rosemont Rosemont (horse) Rosemont was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his win in the 1937 Santa Anita Handicap, defeating Seabiscuit, a scene used in the 2003 motion picture Seabiscuit....	4	Harry Richards Harry C. Richards Harry Clayton Richards was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey and the first president of the Jockeys' Guild. Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Arcaro said Richards: "was strong in character and who maintained a steady belief in our organization [Jockeys' Guild]...	Richard E. Handlen Richard E. Handlen Richard E. "Dick" Handlen was an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer whom the March 15, 1937 edition of the Los Angeles Times called "one of the best trainers in America"...	Foxcatcher Farms	1:56.40
1935	Top Row Top Row Top Row was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who, during three years of racing, set two track records, one of which was a world record, and won the then world's richest horse race....	4	Wayne Wright Wayne D. Wright Wayne Danforth Wright was a Champion American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey who won all three of the Triple Crown races in different years....	Albert A. Baroni	Albert A. Baroni	1:55.80
1934	Time Supply	3	Tommy Luther	Frank C. Travis	Mrs. Frank A. Carreaud	1:57.00