[1] The Great Eastern Handicap was last run in September 1909 after the Republican controlled New York Legislature under Governor Charles Evans Hughes passed the Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation on June 11, 1908.
[3] Further restrictive legislation was passed by the New York Legislature in 1910 which resulted in the deepening of the financial crisis for track operators and led to a complete shut down of racing across the state during 1911 and 1912.
When a Court ruling saw racing return in 1913 it was too late for the Sheepshead Bay facility and it never reopened.
[4][5] Jockey LaVerne Sewell, who won the 1906 edition, was killed in a racing accident later that year at Aqueduct Racetrack on November 9.
In its story on the accident, the Pittsburgh Press called Sewell one of the most promising riders in the East.