| Location | Freehold, New Jersey, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1960 |
| Race type | Harness race for standardbred trotters |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 mile (1,609 metres or 8 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | Freehold Raceway |
| Qualification | 3-year-olds |
The Dexter Cup is a harness racing event for three-year-old standardbred trotters raced at a distance of one mile. The race was created in 1960.
The Dexter Cup is a stakes race for three-year-old colts and geldings. Its companion race for three-year-old fillies is called the Lady Suffolk. The Dexter Cup was inaugurated in 1960 at Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, New York. The inaugural $60,000 Dexter Cup was held on September 17, 1960. Named in memory of Dexter, the race honors one of the foremost trotters of the 19th century.
The Dexter Cup is traditionally considered the first leg of the "Big Five" trotting stakes, which also include the Colonial Trot, Yonkers Trot, Hambletonian Stakes, and Kentucky Futurity. It is held annually as the opening stakes event of the Grand Circuit season for three-year-old male trotters eligible to compete in the Hambletonian.
The Dexter Cup was held at the now-defunct Roosevelt Raceway from 1960 to 1987. At Roosevelt Raceway, The Dexter developed into the richest harness race of all time with a value of $183,463 in 1967. It was relocated to Yonkers Raceway for the 1988 season. In November 1991, Freehold Raceway signed a contract with the Hambletonian Society to host the Dexter Cup and the Lady Suffolk trots for the first time in 1992. The closure of Freehold Raceway at the end of 2024 led to the Dexter Cup being reassigned to The Meadowlands Grand Circuit program in 2025. The format was changed to eliminate eliminations and a final, instead splitting the race into divisions.
Notable Dexter Cup winners include the world champions Armbro Goal, Joie De Vie, Defiant Yankee, Colt Comfort, Songcan, Lindy's Pride, Nevele Pride, and Carlisle. Five horses have captured both the Dexter Cup and the Hambletonian Stakes: Speedy Scot (1963), Nevele Pride (1968), Lindy's Pride (1969), Armbro Goal (1988), and American Winner (1993).
The Dexter Cup Trot was originally raced over one mile when inaugurated in 1960.
| Year | Winner | Driver | Trainer | Owner | Time | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Quick Song | Ralph N. Baldwin | Ralph N. Baldwin | Castleton Farm | 2:10 2/5 | World trotting record | ||
| 1961 | Matastar | Harry Pownall | — | Arden Homestead Stable | 2:10 1/5 | World trotting record | ||
| 1962 | Lord Gordon | John Patterson | John Patterson | Leonard J. Buck/Allwood Stable | — | |||
| 1963 | Speedy Scot | Ralph N. Baldwin | Ralph N. Baldwin | Castleton Farm | — | |||
| 1964 | Dartmouth | Stanley Dancer | — | Castleton Farm | 2:08 4/5 | — | ||
| 1965 | Armbro Flight | Joe O'Brien | Joe O'Brien | Elgin, Ted, and Charles Armstrong | 2:03 3/5 | $39,943 | ||
| 1966 | Carlisle | Billy Haughton | — | — | — | |||
| 1967 | Flamboyant | Billy Haughton | — | — | 2:04 3/5 | $91,731 | ||
| 1968 | Nevele Pride | Stanley Dancer | Stanley Dancer | Nevele Acres & Louis Resnick | 2:02 2/5 | |||
| 1969 | Lindy's Pride | Howard Beissinger | Howard Beissinger | Frank and Tom Antonacci (Lindy Farms) | 2:00 3/5 | |||
| 1970 | Marlu Pride | Hervé Filion | Hervé Filion | August J. Portanova | 2:01 2/5 | Stakes record | ||
| 1971 | Quick Pride | Stanley Dancer | Stanley Dancer | Florida Stables | 2:03 | $53,843 | ||
| 1972 | Songcan | George Sholty | Don Prussack | Nevele Acres & Don Hy Stable, Inc. | 2:02 4/5 | — | ||
| 1973 | Knightly Way | John F. Simpson Jr. | John F. Simpson Jr. | Clarence Gaines | 2:01.3 | — | ||
| 1974 | Surge Hanover | William Wellwood | William Wellwood | William Wellwood | 2:03 4/5 | $56,190 | ||
| 1975 | Songflori | Delvin Miller | Delvin Miller | Del Miller, John F. Simpson Jr., & the Messenger Stables | — | |||
| 1976 | Soothsayer | Delvin Miller | Mike Crocco | Mike Crocco | 2:02 4/5 | $83,145 | ||
| 1977 | Cold Comfort | Peter Haughton | Billy Haughton | H.P.H. Stable | — | $83,328; First father-son team to win | ||
| 1978 | Brisco Hanover | Jim Miller | Jim Miller | — | Mel Barr | — | ||
| 1979 | Chiola Hanover | Jimmy Allen | Bill Vaughn | Michael & Allan Chasanoff | 2:02 2/5 | $87,613 | ||
| 1980 | Nevele Impulse | Dick Macomber | Dick Macomber | Hans Enggren | 2:02 2/5 | — | ||
| 1981 | Defiant Yankee | Howard Beissinger | — | — | 2:01 | Track record tie | ||
| 1982 | Mystic Park | Frank O'Mara | Frank O'Mara | — | 2:01 2/5 | $82,073 | ||
| 1983 | Joie De Vie | Buddy Gilmour | Ned Martin | — | 2:01 4/5 | $131,695 | ||
| 1984 | Speed Merchant | Anthony Quartarolo | Anthony Quartarolo | — | 1:59 2/5 | Track record tie | ||
| 1985 | Master Willie | Sören Nordin | — | — | 2:00 | — | ||
| 1986 | Mangrove | Stanley Dancer | — | — | 2:00 2/5 | — | ||
| 1987 | Crowns Best | John Campbell | — | — | — | $83,981 | ||
| 1988 | Armbro Goal | John Campbell | Jan Johnson | Jimmy Plate | 1:54 4/5 | $110,683 | ||
| 1990 | Royal Troubadour | Carl Allen | Carl Allen | Carl Allen | 1:58.3 | Stakes record | ||
| 1991 | Crowns Invitation | Michel Lachance | Jerry Riordan | Lou Guida | 1:54 4/5 | — | ||
| 1992 | McCluckey | Jack Moiseyev | Joe Holloway | — | 2:00 3/5 | — | ||
| 1993 | American Winner | Ron Pierce | Per Eriksson | — | — | — | ||
| 1994 | Mr Lavec | Jimmy Takter | Jimmy Takter | — | 1:58.2 | Stakes record | ||
| 1995 | Super Wally | Rod Allen | Ed Perry | Loren Houston | — | — | ||
| 1996 | Armbro Ogen | Jack Moiseyev | Brett Pelling | Brett Pelling & Peter & Gail McCann | — | $75,872.50 | ||
| 1997 | Armbro Plato | Ray Schnittker | Ray Schnittker | Ray Schnittker, Seal Stable, Earl Scheelar, & Ron Kelkenberg | 1:58 4/5 | — | ||
| 1998 | Trade Balance | Ron Pierce | — | — | 2:02.2 | — | ||
| 1999 | Pearsall Hanover | Mickey McNichol | — | Wildenstein Stable | 1:59 | $79,575 | ||
| 2000 | Ambro Trick | Ray Schnittker | Paul Doherty | Ray Schnittker, Seal Stable, Earl Schleer, & Kelks Inc. | 1:57 4/5 | Stakes record | ||
| 2001 | SJ's Caviar | Robert Blanton Jr. | Belinda Blanton | Solomon, Bartling and Kosmos Horse Breeders | 1:56 1/5 | Stakes record | ||
| 2002 | Trainforthefuture | Michel Lachance | Robert Macintosh | — | 1:59.1 | — | ||
| 2003 | CR V Eight | Catello Manzi | Lars Nordin | — | 1:59.1 | — | ||
| 2004 | Beissinger Hanover | Michel Lachance | Ron Gurfein | — | 1:57 1/5 | — | ||
| 2005 | Lindy Five Hundred | George Brennan | Paul Doherty | Jones For President, KR Breeding, and Edward Pachula | 1:59.1 | — | ||
| 2006 | A Rod | George Brennan | Paul Doherty | Earl Schleer, the Kelk family, & Ray Schnittker | 1:58.1 | — | ||
| 2007 | Manfinity | George Brennan | Larry Rathbone | — | 1:58.2 | — | ||
| 2008 | Holiday Credit | Ron Pierce | Jimmy Takter | — | 1:56.3 | — | ||
| 2009 | Anders Bluestone | Tim Tetrick | Jimmy Takter | — | 1:55.3 | Stakes record | ||
| 2010 | Flex The Muscle | David Miller | Ray Schnittker | — | 1:56.2 | Schnittker's fifth victory | ||
| 2011 | Ice Machine | David Miller | Charlie Norris | — | 1:57.3 | — | ||
| 2012 | Not Afraid | Ron Pierce | Jimmy Takter | — | 1:55.4 | — | ||
| 2013 | Celebrity Maserati | Tom Jackson | Susanne Strandqvist | — | 1:58.3 | — | ||
| 2014 | Sumatra | Brian Sears | Tom Fanning | — | 1:57.4 | — | ||
| 2015 | Habitat | Yannick Gingras | Ron Burke | — | 1:56.4 | — | ||
| 2016 | Dante | Ake Svanstadt | Ake Svanstedt | Courant AB of Sweden | 1:59.4 | — | ||
| 2017 | Lord Cromwell | John Campbell | Ed Hart | Carolyn & Irv Atherton | 1:55 | Stakes record | ||
| 2018 | Lindy's Big Bang | David Miller | Richard Norman | — | 1:56.1 | — | ||
| 2019 | Osterc | Yannick Gingras | Per Engblom | Christina Takter | 1:57.0 | — | ||
| 2020 | No races | |||||||
| 2021 | Incommunicado | Yannick Gingras | Ake Svanstedt | Knutsson Trotting Inc., Little E LLC, Arthur Geiger, & David Stolz | 1:56 3/5 | — | ||
| 2022 | Brave By Design | Joe Bongiorno | Jennifer Bongiorno | Brave By Design Stable | 1:57.2 | — | ||
| 2023 | Khaosan Road | Scott Zeron | Ake Svanstedt | Knutsson Trotting Inc. & Little E LLC | 1:57.4 | — | ||
| 2024 | Sir Pinocchio | Jason Bartlett | Ed Hart | Carolyn & Irv Atherton | 1:56.2 | — | ||
| 2025 | Hard Seven | Todd McCarthy | Nancy Takter | Let It Ride Stables, Maurice Chodash, & Boca Racing LLC | 1:53.4 | |||