Miracle Wood Stakes
Encyclopedia
The Miracle Wood Stakes is an American
Thoroughbred
horse race held in February at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland
. The Miracle Wood, is open to three-year-olds willing to race seven furlongs on the dirt. It was the 15th running of the stakes race in 2009.
An ungraded stakes
, it offers a purse of $75,000. The Miracle Wood is also one of Maryland's triple crown prep races. The winner of the race typically moves on to compete in the Private Terms Stakes
held in March at Laurel Park Racecourse as well, but winners have also ventured off to New York and Kentucky for their next races to see if they are worthy of continuing on the Triple Crown Trail.
The race itself was named in honor of Miracle Wood, a champion Maryland bred colt that went on to win many races and accolades. In 2008 the race was shortened from one mile to the current distance of seven furlongs. During the first eleven years of the race (1993–2003) the race was run at a distance of 1-1/16 miles (8.5 furlongs).
The most memorable Miracle Wood Stakes was the 2006 edition in which Sweetnorthernsaint
set a record winning margin of ten lengths. Sweetnorthernsaint went on to win the Illinois Derby
that year and was the post time favorite in the 132nd Kentucky Derby
. A local horse based at Laurel Park Racecourse, Sweetnorthernsaint went on to become a millionaire and place second in the state's biggest race, the Preakness Stakes
.
Most wins by an owner:
Most wins by a jockey
:
Most wins by a trainer
:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
horse race held in February at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland
Laurel, Maryland
Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Incorporated in 1870, the city maintains a historic district including its Main Street...
. The Miracle Wood, is open to three-year-olds willing to race seven furlongs on the dirt. It was the 15th running of the stakes race in 2009.
An ungraded stakes
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...
, it offers a purse of $75,000. The Miracle Wood is also one of Maryland's triple crown prep races. The winner of the race typically moves on to compete in the Private Terms Stakes
Private Terms Stakes
The Private Terms Stakes is a race for Thoroughbred horses held in late March at Laurel Park in Maryland. The ungraded stakes race is open to three-year-olds willing to race one mile on the dirt and offers a purse of $75,000. This race is a minor race on the road to the Triple Crown each spring...
held in March at Laurel Park Racecourse as well, but winners have also ventured off to New York and Kentucky for their next races to see if they are worthy of continuing on the Triple Crown Trail.
The race itself was named in honor of Miracle Wood, a champion Maryland bred colt that went on to win many races and accolades. In 2008 the race was shortened from one mile to the current distance of seven furlongs. During the first eleven years of the race (1993–2003) the race was run at a distance of 1-1/16 miles (8.5 furlongs).
The most memorable Miracle Wood Stakes was the 2006 edition in which Sweetnorthernsaint
Sweetnorthernsaint
Sweetnorthernsaint is a Thoroughbred race horse. A Florida foal of March 2003, he was a top contender for the Triple Crown in 2006. Late in his two year-old season he was very hard to handle, so much so that they could not get him to focus enough to train on the track and his owners made the...
set a record winning margin of ten lengths. Sweetnorthernsaint went on to win the Illinois Derby
Illinois Derby
The Illinois Derby is a race for Thoroughbred horses held in early April each year. First run in 1923, the Derby takes place at Hawthorne Race Course located in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, just west of Chicago...
that year and was the post time favorite in the 132nd 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...
. A local horse based at Laurel Park Racecourse, Sweetnorthernsaint went on to become a millionaire and place second in the state's biggest race, the Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
.
Records
Speed record:- 7 furlongs - 1:23.60 - J J's Lucky Train (2011)
- 1-1/16 miles - 1:43.00 - Gimmeawink (2003)
Most wins by an owner:
- no owner has the Miracle Wood Stakes more than once
Most wins by a jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
:
- 4 - Mario Pino (1997, 2002, 2006 & 2007)
Most wins by a trainer
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...
:
- 2 - Michael Trombetta (2006 & 2007)
Winners of the Miracle Wood Stakes
| Year |
Winner |
Age |
Jockey |
Trainer |
Owner |
Distance | Time | Purse |
| 2011 | J J's Lucky Train | 3 | Jose C. Ferrer Jose C. Ferrer Jose C. Ferrer is an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. He began riding in the United States in 1983 at Calder Race Course in Florida then at Monmouth Park and the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey. On November 24, 1983 Ferrer became the first jockey to win five races on a single card... |
William D. Anderson | Fresh Start Stable | 7 fur. | 1:23.60 | $75,000 |
| 2010 | Don't Blame the Cat | 3 | Erick Rodriguez | Richard Dutrow, Jr. | Mary Raymond | 7 fur. | 1:23.62 | $70,000 |
| 2009 | Rock On Justin | 3 | Tony Maragh | Gary Capuano | Non Stop Stable’s | 7 fur. | 1:24.58 | $75,000 |
| 2008 | Gattopardo | 3 | Julian Pimentel | Timothy Tullock Jr. | Germania Farm | 7 fur. | 1:24.16 | $90,000 |
| 2007 | Crafty Bear | 3 | Mario Pino Mario G. Pino Mario G. Pino is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Raised on a farm, he began his riding career in 1978 at Delaware Park in Wilmington... |
Michael Trombetta | Harry Meyerhoff | 1 mile | 1:38.55 | $75,000 |
| 2006 | Sweetnorthernsaint Sweetnorthernsaint Sweetnorthernsaint is a Thoroughbred race horse. A Florida foal of March 2003, he was a top contender for the Triple Crown in 2006. Late in his two year-old season he was very hard to handle, so much so that they could not get him to focus enough to train on the track and his owners made the... |
3 | Mario Pino Mario G. Pino Mario G. Pino is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Raised on a farm, he began his riding career in 1978 at Delaware Park in Wilmington... |
Michael Trombetta | Joseph Balsamo/Ted Theos | 1 mile | 1:38.69 | $75,000 |
| 2005 | Malibu Moonshine | 3 | Steve Hamilton | King T. Leatherbury King T. Leatherbury King T. Leatherbury MBA is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer who ranks third all-time in wins among U.S. trainers.... |
Woodrow Marriott | 1 mile | 1:40.25 | $75,000 |
| 2004 | Water Cannon | 3 | Ramon Dominguez Ramon A. Dominguez Ramon A. Dominguez is an Eclipse Award-winning champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.... |
Linda Albert | Nonsequitur Stable | 1-1/16 | 1:38.99 | $65,000 |
| 2003 | Gimmeawink | 3 | Jeremy Rose Jeremy Rose Jeremy Rose is an American Thoroughbred racehorse jockey. He began his career as a professional rider at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Delaware and in 2001 was his breakout year and he was voted the United States' Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey.In 2005, Rose guided Afleet Alex, to... |
Timothy F. Ritchey Timothy F. Ritchey Timothy F. "Tim" Ritchey is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He is best known as the trainer of Afleet Alex, a 2005 winner of two American Classic Races, the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.... |
Walter Weinkowitz | 1-1/16 | 1:43.07 | $60,000 |
| 2002 | Saratoga Blues | 3 | Mario Pino Mario G. Pino Mario G. Pino is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Raised on a farm, he began his riding career in 1978 at Delaware Park in Wilmington... |
Anthony W. Dutrow Anthony W. Dutrow Anthony W. "Tony" Dutrow is an American horse trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing.The eldest of three brothers involved in Thoroughbred racing, he is the son of the late well-known Maryland trainer Richard E. Dutrow, Sr... |
Alvin Akman | 1-1/16 | 1:45.80 | $60,000 |
| 2001 | Talk is Money | 3 | Edgar Prado | John Scanlon John Scanlon Lieutenant Colonel John Joseph Scanlan, DSO and bar was an Australian Army officer during the First World War and the Second World War. He led Lark Force at Rabaul and was taken as a prisoner of war.-Notes:... |
Daniel Borislow | 1-1/16 | 1:45.96 | $67,000 |
| 2000 | Connect | 3 | Ryan Fogelsonger Ryan Fogelsonger Ryan Fogelsonger is an American Champion jockey in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing.Based in Maryland, Fogelsonger began riding in 2002 but was late getting started, earning his first win on May 1 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland... |
Leslie Saunders | John R. Rastetter | 1-1/16 | 1:51.40 | $45,000 |
| 1999 | Ewer All Wet | 3 | Edgar Prado | Rodney Jenkins | Kathryn Clark | 1-1/16 | 1:44.80 | $45,000 |
| 1998 | Mister Business | 3 | Joe Rocco | Richard E. Dutrow, Sr. Richard E. Dutrow, Sr. Richard E. "Dick" Dutrow, Sr. Richard E. "Dick" Dutrow, Sr. Richard E. "Dick" Dutrow, Sr. (March 8, 1937 - February 19, 1999 was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Dutrow, along with King T. Leatherbury, John J. Tammaro, Jr. and Hall of Fame inductee Bud Delp, were known as Maryland... |
Swan and Cygnet Farm | 1-1/16 | 1:45.20 | $45,000 |
| 1997 | South West Hostage | 3 | Mario Pino | Ferris Allen | Wombat Racing Stable | 5.5 fur. | 1:05.60 | $30,000 |
| 1996 | Game Quoit | 3 | Mark Johnston | Donald Barr | Donald Barr | 5.5 fur. | 1:03.20 | $30,000 |
| 1995 | South Bend | 3 | Albert Delgado | Barbara M. Kees | Barbara M. Kees | 7 fur | 1:25.20 | $30,000 |
See also
- Miracle Wood Stakes "top three finishers"Miracle Wood Stakes top three finishersThis is a listing of the horses that finished in either first, second, or third place and the number of starters in the Miracle Wood Stakes, an American stakes race for three year-olds at one mile on dirt held at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. -External links:*...
- Pimlico Race CoursePimlico Race CoursePimlico 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...