Hialeah Turf Cup Handicap
The Hialeah Turf Cup Handicap is a discontinued American Thoroughbred horse race open to horses aged three and older that was run each year at Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida until the track closed at the end of the 2001 racing season. At the time, it was the oldest grass race in America.
| Discontinued stakes race | |
| Location | Hialeah Park Race Track Hialeah, Florida, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1926 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+3⁄16 miles (9.5 furlongs) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-years-old & up |
| Weight | Handicap |
| Purse | US$200,000 |
The race was inaugurated as the Miami Cup Handicap ion March 13, 1926 and was open to horses age three and older. In addition to the President's gold cup, winner Boon Companion received what at the time was a very sizeable winner's purse of $24,950. From 1929 through 1952 it was run as the Miami Beach Handicap then in 1953 was renamed the Hialeah Turf Cup Handicap. The race was run on dirt until 1939 when it was permanently moved to the turf. It was a Grade 1 event in 1989 when financial difficulties saw racing at Hialeah Park suspended. On resumption in 1992, the race lost its graded stakes status.
Run in two divisions in 1944, the race was contested at different distances:
- 1 mile – 1932–1938
- 1 mile, 70 yards – 1929–1931
- 1+1⁄16 miles – 1926, 1939–1944
- 1+1⁄8 miles – 1927
- 1+3⁄16 miles – 1995–1999, 2001
- 1+1⁄4 miles – 1946
- 1+3⁄8 miles – 2000
- 1+1⁄2 miles – 1947–1994