Official Souvenir of the Inaugural Meeting of the Metropolitan Jockey Club Race Course at Jamaica, L.I. April 27, 1903

The very rare souvenir album from the 1903 grand opening of the Jamaica Race Track and the inaugural running of the $7000 Excelsior Handicap (later the Excelsior Stakes), the first highly organized Thoroughbred race that established prestige for the New York City circuit and attracted "some of the more prominent racing stables that did not race at Aqueduct." (from New York Times article published on the opening day). The book describes the virtues of the new facilities, ranging from the cantilever construction to its romantic situation within the landscape "near enough to the sea to get the salt breeze." Full of great typographic adverts and photographs printed in monochrome green, as well as stats about the races and general information on the racing season and events.

Oblong quarto, 11 x 8 inches, 64pp. Pictorial boards lined with linen at the hinges, three-hole binding with an open spine, secured with a decorative rose-colored cord. In Very Good condition with some very shallow chipping at the edge of the boards and light general rubbing/soil from handling. OCLC locates only a digitized copy at the Queens Public Library. By comparison, this example has at least one typographic error not present in that copy, suggesting it precedes that printing or was perhaps a proof copy. Two photographic plates are also missing from this copy, though perhaps would not be evident without the digital copy to compare. A beautiful item and immensely desirable piece of American horse racing history.