Future National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inductee Discovery set the World Record for 1 3/16 miles in the time of 1:55.
Alfred G. Vanderbilt II was lured to run his top horse at 'Gansett when track management bumped the purse to 15k added just days before the event.
The attendance figure of 53,922 that crammed the track that Labor Day is still a record for any sporting event held in Rhode Island.
An outbreak of "Swamp Fever" — or Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) in the summer had caused the death of 77 horses at Rockingham Park.
A 1951 edition of the Rhode Island Handicap was scheduled for the years' final day, but was cancelled when only three horses entered.
[6] Lincoln Downs – a nearby 13/16th mile track that opened on July 7, 1947 – ran a 7.5 furlong race named the Rhode Island Handicap in 1959.