West Virginia Governor's Stakes

Last updated
West Virginia Governor's Stakes
Grade III race
Location Mountaineer Racetrack
Chester, West Virginia, United States
Inaugurated1995 (as West Virginia Governor's Cup Handicap)
Race type Thoroughbred - Flat racing
Website Mountaineer Park
Race information
Distance1+1⁄16 miles (8.5 furlongs)
SurfaceDirt
Trackleft-handed
QualificationThree-years-old and older
WeightBase weights with allowances:
4-year-olds and up: 124 lbs.
3-year-olds: 122 lbs.
Purse $200,000

The West Virginia Governor's Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and older over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt held annually in August at Mountaineer Race Track in Chester, West Virginia. The event currently carries a purse of $150,000.

Contents

History

The inaugural running of the event was on 8 September 1995 as the first race on a nine race program on the West Virginia Breeders Classic Stakes Day. [1] The event was run as the West Virginia Governor's Cup Handicap over a five furlong distance. [2]

The event was not held in 1996. [3] In 1997 the event was run as the West Virginia Governor's Handicap over a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles and was the main event of the day's racing card. [4]

In 2005 the conditions of the event were changed from handicap to stakes allowance and the name of the event was modified to the West Virginia Governor's Stakes. [5]

In 2007 the event was won by the eight-year-old M B Sea for the second time. [3] Both of the victories by M B Sea were by seven lengths which stood as the margin record until Shadowbdancing won by eight lengths in 2009. [6]

Joan & Ron Winchell, who race as Winchell Thoroughbreds, won this race in 2012 with Tapizar and went on to win the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in the fall. [7]

In 2015, the race saw a major upset when longshot Looks To Spare won under jockey Deshawn Parker. A perennial Mountaineer Racetrack champion and its all-time winningest jockey, when Parker rides it is near automatic that the fans will heavily back him. However, Looks To Spare was considered such an unlikely winner that he was allowed to go off at odds of 74-1. He paid $150.60 to win on a $2 ticket. [8]

The race has grown in stature over the years and in 2018 the race was upgraded by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to Grade 3 status. [9]

In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Mountaineer Park canceled the event. [10]

Records

Speed record:

Margins:

Most wins:

Most wins by a jockey:

Most wins by a trainer:

Most wins by an owner:

Winners

YearWinnerAgeJockeyTrainerOwnerDistanceTimePurseGradeRef
West Virginia Governor's Stakes
2022Fulsome4 Paco Lopez Brad H. Cox Juddmonte 1+1⁄16 miles1:43.48$200,000III [11]
2021Sprawl4 Joseph Talamo Thomas Drury Jr. Claiborne Farm & Adele B. Dilschneider1+1⁄16 miles1:44.95$200,000III [12]
2020Race not held
2019Silver Dust5Jack Gilligan W. Bret Calhoun Tom R. Durant1+1⁄16 miles1:43.85$200,000III [13]
2018Leofric5 Florent Geroux Brad H. Cox Steve Landers Racing1+1⁄16 miles1:42.72$200,000III [14]
2017Fear the Cowboy5Jesus M. RiosEfren Loza Jr.Kathleen Amaya & Raffaele Centofanti1+1⁄16 miles1:44.62$200,000Listed [15]
2016Hawaakom6 Miguel Mena Stephan H. SmootStephan H. Smoot & Wesley E. Hawley1+1⁄16 miles1:44.64$200,000Listed [16]
2015Looks to Spare5Deshawn L. ParkerOtabek UmarovO'zbekiston Racing1+1⁄16 miles1:44.55$200,000Listed [17]
2014Carve4 Jesus Lopez Castanon Brad H. Cox Mike Langford1+1⁄16 miles1:44.44$200,000Listed [18]
2013Taptowne5 Calvin H. Borel Tim GlyshawClovertowne Farm1+1⁄16 miles1:44.90$200,000Listed [19]
2012 Tapizar 4 Corey Nakatani Steven M. Asmussen Winchell Thoroughbreds 1+1⁄16 miles1:42.57$200,000Listed [20]
2011Modern Cowboy4 Rafael Bejarano Todd A. Pletcher Green Hills Farm1+1⁄16 miles1:45.40$125,000Listed [21]
2010Demarcation6 Joel Rosario Paul J. McGeeAmerican Racing Stables1+1⁄16 miles1:44.37$125,000Listed [22]
2009Shadowbdancing4Randall A. MeierTerrel GoreRNB Racing1+1⁄16 miles1:44.10$125,000Listed [6]
2008Zanjero4 Shaun Bridgmohan Steven M. Asmussen Winchell Thoroughbreds 1+1⁄16 miles1:44.65$125,000Listed [23]
2007M B Sea8Rex A. Stokes III Dale L. Romans Michael J. Bruder1+1⁄16 miles1:46.96$125,000Listed [24]
2006Cherokee's Boy6Travis L. DunkelbergerGary CapuanoZ W P Stable1+1⁄16 miles1:44.72$125,000Listed [25]
2005M B Sea6 Mark Guidry Dale L. Romans Michael J. Bruder1+1⁄16 miles1:43.82$125,000Listed [26]
West Virginia Governor's Handicap
2004Wiggins4 Rafael Bejarano Anthony J. GranitzWilliam Pacella, Joseph Rizza & Ronald Schwed1+1⁄16 miles1:43.37$100,000Listed [27]
2003Be Like Mike4 Jorge F. Chavez Niall M. O'Callaghan G-3 Racing1+1⁄16 miles1:41.15$102,825Listed [28]
2002Docent4 Jeremy Rose Timothy F. Ritchey Arlene Daney1+1⁄16 miles1:42.24$88,500Listed [29]
2001Winning Connection5Damon LeedsJoe WoodardBilly Hays1+1⁄16 miles1:43.94$57,750Listed [30]
2000Shock Value5 Rick Wilson Daniel J. LopezDaniel J. Lopez & Theodore Shapiro1+1⁄16 miles1:44.64$52,650Listed [31]
1999True Silver4Jeffrey Scott LloydDonald P. SavilleHeavenly Acres Farm1+1⁄16 miles1:44.64$37,450Listed [32]
1998Xclusive Imp4Mary Elizabeth DoserJohn R. SemerElaine M. Gross1+1⁄16 miles1:44.44$37,275 [33]
1997Regal Rahy4Michael F. RowlandCharles A. TatonettiPreferred Picks Racing Stable1+1⁄16 miles1:45.62$27,000 [34]
1996Race not held
West Virginia Governor's Cup Handicap
1995I'm No Square6John A. Perez Jr.Louis P. GalloLouis P. Gallo5 furlongs0:58.65$11,725 [2]

See also

List of American and Canadian Graded races

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References

  1. ↑ "MOUNTAINEER CASINO RACETRACK & RESORT - September 8, 1995 - Race day". Equibase. 8 September 1995. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  2. 1 2 "1995 West Virginia Governor's Cup Handicap - (race 1)". Equibase. 8 September 1995. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  3. 1 2 "WEST VIRGINIA GOVERNORS STAKES - MOUNTAINEER PARK, WV". Thoroughbred Pedigree Online. 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  4. ↑ "MOUNTAINEER CASINO RACETRACK & RESORT - October 20, 1997 - Race day". Equibase. 20 October 1997. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  5. ↑ "West Virginia Governor's Stakes (Gr. 3)". www.equibase.com. 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  6. 1 2 "2009 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 1 August 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  7. ↑ "SANTA ANITA PARK - November 3, 2012 - Race 6 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Grade 1" (PDF). Equibase. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  8. ↑ LaMarra, Tom (21 August 2015). "Rare Upset for Jockey Parker at Mountaineer". Bloodhorse.com.
  9. ↑ Schweigardt, Andrew (1 December 2017). "TOBA Announces U.S. Graded and Listed Stakes for 2018". Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association . Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  10. ↑ BloodHorse Staff (14 July 2020). "Mountaineer Park Cancels Aug. 1 West Virginia Derby". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  11. ↑ "2022 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Grade 3 - (race 7)". Equibase. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  12. ↑ "2021 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Grade 3 - (race 7)". Equibase. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  13. ↑ "2019 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Grade 3 - (race 7)". Equibase. 3 August 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  14. ↑ "2018 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Grade 3 - (race 7)". Equibase. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  15. ↑ "2017 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  16. ↑ "2016 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  17. ↑ "2015 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 1 August 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  18. ↑ "2014 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  19. ↑ "2013 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  20. ↑ "2012 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  21. ↑ "2011 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 6 August 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  22. ↑ "2010 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  23. ↑ "2008 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 2 August 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  24. ↑ "2007 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 4 August 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  25. ↑ "2006 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 6 August 2006. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  26. ↑ "2005 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 14 August 2005. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  27. ↑ "2004 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 7 August 2004. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  28. ↑ "2003 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 9 August 2003. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  29. ↑ "2002 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 10 August 2002. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  30. ↑ "2001 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 11 August 2001. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  31. ↑ "2000 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Listed - (race 6)". Equibase. 12 August 2000. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  32. ↑ "1999 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Listed - (race 8)". Equibase. 14 August 1999. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  33. ↑ "1998 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Black Type - (race 8)". Equibase. 15 August 1998. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  34. ↑ "1997 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Black Type - (race 9)". Equibase. 20 October 1997. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
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