Mesabi Maiden is an American Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 filly

Filly

A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....

 racehorse

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

. The daughter of Cox's Ridge

Cox's Ridge

Cox's Ridge was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. His handlers chose to bypass the rigorous U.S. Triple Crown series and went on the enjoy considerable success in 1977 and 1978 with his most important win coming in the Metropolitan Handicap. In 1979, the five-year-old Cox's Ridge won the Tom...

 and Steel Maiden out of Hall of Fame Champion Damascus

Damascus

Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...

 will best be remembered for winning the mile and an eighth Grade II

Graded stakes race

A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...

 $200,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes

Black-Eyed Susan Stakes

The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The race is open to three-year-old fillies willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt and currently offers a purse of $250,000...

 at Pimlico Race Course

Pimlico Race Course

Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...

 on May 17, 1996.

Racing Career

Mesabi Maiden was one of those "One Hit Wonders" and was only a moderate success on the race course. In fact she finished in-the-money in 56% of her races but only won three times during her entire racing career. She broke her maiden in her third start in December 1995 and then she went on to win an allowance race in early March of 1996 at Aqueduct Racetrack

Aqueduct Racetrack

Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...

. Although she was not a dominant horse she was a very capable filly and her owners Stuart S. Janney III and Ogden Phipps

Ogden Phipps

Ogden Phipps was an American stockbroker, court tennis champion and Hall of Fame member, thoroughbred horse racing executive and owner/breeder, and an art collector and philanthropist...

 along with trainer Gary C. Contessa

Gary C. Contessa

Gary C. Contessa is an American horse trainer in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. He became a professional trainer in 1984....

 decided to take a shot at the second jewel of the defacto filly Triple Crown, the Grade II

Graded stakes race

A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...

 $200,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes

Black-Eyed Susan Stakes

The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The race is open to three-year-old fillies willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt and currently offers a purse of $250,000...

 in May 1996. In that mile and an eighth race on the dirt, Mesabi Maiden beat a field of eight including heavy favorite Cara Rafaela and stakes winner Ginny Lynn. The final time for the nine furlong Black-Eyed Susan was 1:51.00 flat under her jockey Mike E. Smith.

After the Black-Eyed Susan, Mesabi Maiden went on a show streak of finishing in third place in five of her last six races. Some of those third place finishes came in graded stakes races like the; the grade two Monmouth Breeders' Cup Oaks

Monmouth Breeders' Cup Oaks

The Monmouth Oaks is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey for three-year-old fillies. Named for England's Epsom Oaks, first run in 1779, the inaugural American edition took place in 1871...

 in New Jersey finishing behind Top Secret, the grade three Anne Arundel Stakes

Anne Arundel Stakes

The Anne Arundel Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in November at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. The Anne Arundel Stakes, is open to fillies age three-years-old and up willing to race one mile on the dirt. It was the 35th running of the stakes race in 2010.An...

 at Laurel Park Racecourse against Hey Let's Dance and the grade three Astarita Stakes

Astarita Stakes

The Astarita Stakes was an American non-graded Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York between 1946 and 2005. Open to two-year-old fillies, it was a sprint race contested on dirt over a distance of six and a half furlongs...

 at Belmont Park

Belmont Park

Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...

losing to Broad Dynamite. Mesabi Maiden finished her racing career with six third place finishes and three wins, an overall record of 3-1-6 out of 18 starts with earnings of $245,314.