A race for two-year-old horses of either sex, it was run on dirt over a distance of five and one-half furlongs.
[1] The inaugural running of the Sapphire Stakes took which took place on September 1, 1887 was won by Geraldine.
[2] Owned by Porter Ashe, ridden by Mike Kelly, and trained by Matthew Allen, Geraldine was described in a 1907 Daily Racing Form article as "one of the fastest sprinters of American turf history.
[5][6] Passage of the Hart–Agnew anti-betting legislation by the New York Legislature under Republican Governor Charles Evans Hughes led to a compete shutdown of racing in 1911 and 1912 in the state.
[7][8] A February 21, 1913 ruling by the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division saw horse racing return in 1913.