Driver Ben Sill with a high wheeled sulky. Presumably at Comsewogue Stables

Driver Ben Sill with a high wheeled sulky. Presumably at Comsewogue Stables

Wagers at the race track were usually around $50 with scheduled races at around $75, divided 3 ways. The average time for a mile race (twice around the 1/2 mile track) was about 3 minutes, with faster horses racing under the 3 minute mark. The winner of the races between the trotting horses, usually no more than 3, was the best out of 5 heats. After the sanctioned races were over, the "Brushes" were held which were open races between the locals with any type of horse and any type of vehicle. These were often very colorful to watch.

Photograph from the Davis Family Collection. Courtesy of the Brookhaven Town Historian's Office

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