Trophy

Object Name:

Trophy

Object ID:

2016.038.01

Creator:

ESCO Awards -- Manufacturer

Place of Origin:

Salem, NH

Date:

1964

Description:

Trophy. New Hampshire Sweepstakes horse race, Rockingham Park, Salem, NH, 1964. Brass-plated cup on wooden base. Cup has two scrolled handles and cover surmounted by figure of horse and rider. Two-tiered walnut base with three engraved brass plates. Upper plate, on front: "ROCKINGHAM PARK / NEW HAMPSHIRE SWEEPSTAKES". Lower plates, on front and right side, bear names of winning horses for each year from 1964 to 1967 and 1984 to 2002. Plastic decal adhered to bottom: "ESCO / Awards / 375 SO. BROADWAY / SALEM, N.H. / 603-893-0173".

Material:

Metal
Brass
Wood
Walnut

Dimensions:

H-27.5 W-14 D-14 Dia-9.5 inches

Provenance:

On June 28, 1906, Rockingham Park opened for a 21-day thoroughbred racing horse meet at Salem Depot, NH. Over 10,000 people, who came by train from Boston, Rhode Island, and New York, packed the new clubhouse, which had cost over $1 million to construct. The Park was proclaimed the finest racecourse in the world. Alyth, a two-year-old, won the first thoroughbred race. Thoroughbred racing and the track sat idle after only three days because betting was illegal in the State of New Hampshire. The Rockingham Fair opened on August 20, 1912 on the racetrack grounds, for a week-long event including Grand Circuit harness racing. Fairs, which lasted through 1915, with harness racing all four years, also included hot air balloon rides, livestock shows, exhibits, and carnivals.

The grounds were used periodically for horse and motorcycle racing until April 23, 1933, when gambling was legalized in New Hampshire, due to an extensive campaign waged in the state legislature by Lou Smith and Sam Simon. The vote to restore racing at Salem passed in a special town meeting by a vote of 617-2. On June 21, 1933, Rockingham Park opened for New England's first meet with legalized gambling. Over 15,000 people, came by train and automobile, to the races.

In 1964 the New Hampshire State Legislature passed bills creating the first state-operated lottery in the United States. Sold only in state liquor stores and a few select other locations, the winning lottery ticket was based upon the outcome of a thoroughbred race at the Park. Lou Smith then inaugurated the New Hampshire Sweepstakes, patterned on the Irish Sweepstakes. The initial running on September 12, 1964, won by Roman Brother in track record time of 1:55:4 for 1 3/16 mile, was covered by the national media and televised by ABC-TV's Wide World of Sports. The race was discontinued after 1967 and renewed in 1984.

Credit Line:

Gift of Rockingham Park

Subjects:

Horse racing, Horse racetracks, Horses, Trophies, Lotteries