Michael J. Maker
Encyclopedia
Michael J. Maker is an American trainer
of Thoroughbred
racehorses
. The son of a trainer, he learned the business from his father then set up his own public stable in 1991. In 1993 he went to work as an assistant to U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
trainer D. Wayne Lukas
where he remained until going out on his own again in 2003.
Mike Maker's most important win and big came to date came with Furthest Land
in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile
. In 2010 he won the Blue Grass Stakes
with the colt Stately Victor
which qualified him for the Kentucky Derby
.
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
of 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...
racehorses
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 son of a trainer, he learned the business from his father then set up his own public stable in 1991. In 1993 he went to work as an assistant to U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
trainer D. Wayne Lukas
D. Wayne Lukas
Darrell Wayne Lukas is a former educator who became one of the most successful horse trainers in American Thoroughbred horse racing history and a U.S...
where he remained until going out on his own again in 2003.
Mike Maker's most important win and big came to date came with Furthest Land
Furthest Land
Furthest Land is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Catherine Wills, Furthest Land is the first registered foal from the unraced mare, Flagrant, a daughter of Rahy. He was a former claimer for $35,000 who won the 2009 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile by 3/4 length over Ready's Echo and heavily...
in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile
Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile
The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile is a Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up. As its name implies, it is part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the de facto year-end championship for North American thoroughbred racing, and is run on a dirt course...
. In 2010 he won the Blue Grass Stakes
Blue Grass Stakes
The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, currently sponsored by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is an American Grade 1 horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in mid April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky....
with the colt Stately Victor
Stately Victor
Stately Victor is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He ran in the 2010 Kentucky Derby, coming in eighth. Bred by Frank Stronach's Adena Springs, he is a son of the great Ghostzapper, the 2004 American Horse of the Year and ranked number one in the world that year...
which qualified him for the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
.