West Virginia Governor's Stakes

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.

West Virginia Governor's Stakes

Grade III race
Location	Mountaineer Racetrack Chester, West Virginia, United States
Inaugurated	1995 (as West Virginia Governor's Cup Handicap)
Race type	Thoroughbred - Flat racing
Website	Mountaineer Park
Race information
Distance	1+1⁄16 miles (8.5 furlongs)
Surface	Dirt
Track	left-handed
Qualification	Three-years-old and older
Weight	Base weights with allowances: 4-year-olds and up: 124 lbs. 3-year-olds: 122 lbs.
Purse	$200,000

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:

• 1+1⁄16 miles - 1:41.15 Be Like Mike (2003)

Margins:

• 8 lengths - Shadowbdancing (2009)

Most wins:

• 2 - M B Sea (2005, 2007)

Most wins by a jockey:

• 2 - Rafael Bejarano (2004, 2011)

Most wins by a trainer:

• 3 - Brad H. Cox (2014, 2018, 2022)

Most wins by an owner:

• 2 - Michael J. Bruder (2005, 2007)
• 2 - Winchell Thoroughbreds (2008, 2012)

Winners

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Distance	Time	Purse	Grade	Ref
West Virginia Governor's Stakes
2023	Duke of Love	4	Luis Contreras	Josie Carroll	MyRacehorse	1+1⁄16 miles	1:42.39	$200,000	III	^[11]
2022	Fulsome	4	Paco Lopez	Brad H. Cox	Juddmonte	1+1⁄16 miles	1:43.48	$200,000	III	^[12]
2021	Sprawl	4	Joseph Talamo	Thomas Drury Jr.	Claiborne Farm & Adele B. Dilschneider	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.95	$200,000	III	^[13]
2020	Race not held
2019	Silver Dust	5	Jack Gilligan	W. Bret Calhoun	Tom R. Durant	1+1⁄16 miles	1:43.85	$200,000	III	^[14]
2018	Leofric	5	Florent Geroux	Brad H. Cox	Steve Landers Racing	1+1⁄16 miles	1:42.72	$200,000	III	^[15]
2017	Fear the Cowboy	5	Jesus M. Rios	Efren Loza Jr.	Kathleen Amaya & Raffaele Centofanti	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.62	$200,000	Listed	^[16]
2016	Hawaakom	6	Miguel Mena	Stephan H. Smoot	Stephan H. Smoot & Wesley E. Hawley	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.64	$200,000	Listed	^[17]
2015	Looks to Spare	5	Deshawn L. Parker	Otabek Umarov	O'zbekiston Racing	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.55	$200,000	Listed	^[18]
2014	Carve	4	Jesus Lopez Castanon	Brad H. Cox	Mike Langford	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.44	$200,000	Listed	^[19]
2013	Taptowne	5	Calvin H. Borel	Tim Glyshaw	Clovertowne Farm	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.90	$200,000	Listed	^[20]
2012	Tapizar	4	Corey Nakatani	Steven M. Asmussen	Winchell Thoroughbreds	1+1⁄16 miles	1:42.57	$200,000	Listed	^[21]
2011	Modern Cowboy	4	Rafael Bejarano	Todd A. Pletcher	Green Hills Farm	1+1⁄16 miles	1:45.40	$125,000	Listed	^[22]
2010	Demarcation	6	Joel Rosario	Paul J. McGee	American Racing Stables	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.37	$125,000	Listed	^[23]
2009	Shadowbdancing	4	Randall A. Meier	Terrel Gore	RNB Racing	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.10	$125,000	Listed	^[6]
2008	Zanjero	4	Shaun Bridgmohan	Steven M. Asmussen	Winchell Thoroughbreds	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.65	$125,000	Listed	^[24]
2007	M B Sea	8	Rex A. Stokes III	Dale L. Romans	Michael J. Bruder	1+1⁄16 miles	1:46.96	$125,000	Listed	^[25]
2006	Cherokee's Boy	6	Travis L. Dunkelberger	Gary Capuano	Z W P Stable	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.72	$125,000	Listed	^[26]
2005	M B Sea	6	Mark Guidry	Dale L. Romans	Michael J. Bruder	1+1⁄16 miles	1:43.82	$125,000	Listed	^[27]
West Virginia Governor's Handicap
2004	Wiggins	4	Rafael Bejarano	Anthony J. Granitz	William Pacella, Joseph Rizza & Ronald Schwed	1+1⁄16 miles	1:43.37	$100,000	Listed	^[28]
2003	Be Like Mike	4	Jorge F. Chavez	Niall M. O'Callaghan	G-3 Racing	1+1⁄16 miles	1:41.15	$102,825	Listed	^[29]
2002	Docent	4	Jeremy Rose	Timothy F. Ritchey	Arlene Daney	1+1⁄16 miles	1:42.24	$88,500	Listed	^[30]
2001	Winning Connection	5	Damon Leeds	Joe Woodard	Billy Hays	1+1⁄16 miles	1:43.94	$57,750	Listed	^[31]
2000	Shock Value	5	Rick Wilson	Daniel J. Lopez	Daniel J. Lopez & Theodore Shapiro	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.64	$52,650	Listed	^[32]
1999	True Silver	4	Jeffrey Scott Lloyd	Donald P. Saville	Heavenly Acres Farm	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.64	$37,450	Listed	^[33]
1998	Xclusive Imp	4	Mary Elizabeth Doser	John R. Semer	Elaine M. Gross	1+1⁄16 miles	1:44.44	$37,275		^[34]
1997	Regal Rahy	4	Michael F. Rowland	Charles A. Tatonetti	Preferred Picks Racing Stable	1+1⁄16 miles	1:45.62	$27,000		^[35]
1996	Race not held
West Virginia Governor's Cup Handicap
1995	I'm No Square	6	John A. Perez Jr.	Louis P. Gallo	Louis P. Gallo	5 furlongs	0:58.65	$11,725		^[2]

See also

List of American and Canadian Graded races

References

1. "MOUNTAINEER CASINO RACETRACK & RESORT - September 8, 1995 - Race day". Equibase. 8 September 1995. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
2. "1995 West Virginia Governor's Cup Handicap - (race 1)". Equibase. 8 September 1995. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
3. "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. "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. "2023 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Grade 3 - (race 7)". Equibase. 6 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
12. "2022 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Grade 3 - (race 7)". Equibase. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
13. "2021 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Grade 3 - (race 7)". Equibase. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
14. "2019 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Grade 3 - (race 7)". Equibase. 3 August 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
15. "2018 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Grade 3 - (race 7)". Equibase. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
16. "2017 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
17. "2016 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
18. "2015 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 1 August 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
19. "2014 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
20. "2013 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
21. "2012 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
22. "2011 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 6 August 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
23. "2010 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
24. "2008 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 2 August 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
25. "2007 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 4 August 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
26. "2006 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 6 August 2006. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
27. "2005 West Virginia Governor's Stakes Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 14 August 2005. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
28. "2004 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 7 August 2004. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
29. "2003 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 9 August 2003. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
30. "2002 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 10 August 2002. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
31. "2001 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Listed - (race 7)". Equibase. 11 August 2001. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
32. "2000 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Listed - (race 6)". Equibase. 12 August 2000. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
33. "1999 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Listed - (race 8)". Equibase. 14 August 1999. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
34. "1998 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Black Type - (race 8)". Equibase. 15 August 1998. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
35. "1997 West Virginia Governor's Handicap Black Type - (race 9)". Equibase. 20 October 1997. Retrieved 30 July 2021.