The West Virginia Governor's Stakes is a
Grade III American
thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...
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
Chester is a city in northern Hancock County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. Sharing a border with Ohio and lying about west of Pennsylvania, Chester is the northernmost city i ...
. The event currently carries a purse of $150,000.
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. The event was run as the West Virginia Governor's Cup Handicap over a five furlong distance.
[
The event was not held in 1996.][ 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.][
Joan & Ron Winchell, who race as Winchell Thoroughbreds, won this race in 2012 with ]Tapizar
Tapizar (May 6, 2008 – December 15, 2020) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his wins in the San Fernando Stakes and Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.
Background
Tapizar was a bay horse with a stripe on his head. His sire was Tapit, ...
and went on to win the 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 ...
in the fall.
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.
The race has grown in stature over the years and in 2018 the race was upgraded by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association {{short description, Organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders
The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders. ...
to Grade 3 status.COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...
, Mountaineer Park canceled the event.
Records
Speed record:
* 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
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...
:
* 2 - Rafael Bejarano
Rafael Bejarano (born June 23, 1982 in Arequipa, Peru) is a champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He trained at the Peruvian national riding school before embarking on his professional career in 1999. Having met with success, inclu ...
(2004, 2011)
Most wins by a trainer:
* 3 - Brad H. Cox
Brad H. Cox (born March 3, 1980) is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer whose most notable horses include multiple Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl, Knicks Go, Covfefe, Mandaloun, and Essential Quality. He had four winners at the 2020 Breeders' C ...
(2014, 2018, 2022)
Most wins by an owner:
* 2 - Michael J. Bruder (2005, 2007)
* 2 - Winchell Thoroughbreds (2008, 2012)
Winners
See also
List of American and Canadian Graded races
The List of American and Canadian Graded races is a list of Thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada that meet the graded stakes standards maintained by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders ...
References
{{reflist, 2
Graded stakes races in the United States
Grade 3 stakes races in the United States
Horse races in the United States
Open mile category horse races
Recurring sporting events established in 1995
Sports in West Virginia
1995 establishments in West Virginia