Michael J. Maker (born February 7, 1969) is an American
trainer of
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. Thoroughbreds are c ...
racehorses
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
. 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
Darrell Wayne Lukas (born September 2, 1935 in Antigo, Wisconsin) is an American horse trainer and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. He has won twenty Breeders' Cup races, received five Eclipse Awards for his accomplishments, and his horses ha ...
where he remained until going out on his own again in 2003.
Mike Maker's most important wins came with
Furthest Land
Furthest Land (foaled 2005 in Kentucky) 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, und ...
in the 2009
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 t ...
, the 2011
Breeders' Cup Juvenile
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup ...
with
Hansen who would earn
American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971.
The award originated in 1936 when the ''Daily Racing F ...
honors, and the 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf with Fire At Will. In 2010 he won the
Blue Grass Stakes
The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. The race is run ...
with the colt
Stately Victor which qualified him for the
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...
.
ESPN - April 10, 2010
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References
External links
Mike Maker's website
1969 births
Living people
People from Garden City, Michigan
American horse trainers
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