Fall Highweight Handicap

The Fall Highweight Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually near the end of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Currently run at a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 m), it is open to horses three years of age and older under handicap conditions. The race was given its current Grade III status in 2009 by the American Graded Stakes Committee.[2]

Fall Highweight Handicap

Grade III race
Location	Aqueduct Racetrack Queens, New York
Inaugurated	1914
Race type	Thoroughbred, Flat racing
Website	www.nyra.com/index_aqueduct.html
Race information
Distance	6 furlongs
Surface	Dirt
Track	Left-handed
Qualification	Three years old & up
Weight	Handicap
Purse	$200,000-added (2016)[1]

Run at Belmont Park from its inception in 1914 to 1959 and again from 1963 to 1993, the race was open to horses of any age until 1959 when it was changed to its present format. It was raced on a straight course prior to 1921, from 1926 to 1939, and again from 1942 to 1957. A large field resulted in the 1976 edition being run in two divisions. The race is unusual for the high weights assigned – in the past the top-weighted horse was assigned a minimum of 140 pounds (63.5 kg). Although the 140 pound rule is no longer in place, horses still carry more weight than they normally would. The highweight in the 2015 renewal for example carried 134 pounds.[3]

The first edition of the Fall Highweight Handicap was a remarkable victory for Comely who was not only a filly that defeated male rivals, but the only two-year-old to ever win the race. The Comely Stakes were named in honor of her achievement.