The Mineshaft Stakes is a Grade III

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

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 four-year-olds and older run over a distance of miles on the dirt in mid-February at the

Fair Grounds Race Course Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC. The ''Carrollton Race Cours ...

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. The event currently offers a purse of $250,000.

History

The event was inaugurated on 18 February 1973 as the Whirlaway Handicap, a handicap event for three-year-olds and older over a distance of one mile and forty years and was won by the five-year-old Guitar Player who was ridden by Leroy Moyers in a time of 1:41. The event was named in honor of

Whirlaway Whirlaway (April 2, 1938 – April 6, 1953) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the fifth winner of the American Triple Crown. He also won the Travers Stakes after his Triple Crown sweep to become the first and only horse to ...

, the fifth Triple Crown of Horse Racing winner in 1941. The event became a preparatory race for the

Louisiana Handicap The Louisiana Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four years and older over a distance miles on the dirt track held annually during the third week of January at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana ...

and

New Orleans Handicap The New Orleans Classic Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Open to horses four years old and up, the race is run at a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. ...

which were held later in the Fair Ground meeting. The first four winners of the event went on and won the

. Most notable of these winners was the 1975 Preakness Stakes winner

Master Derby Master Derby (April 24, 1972 – January 22, 1999) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1975 Preakness Stakes. Background He was bred by Robert E. Lehmann at his Golden Chance Farm in Paris, Kentucky. Master Derby wa ...

who won the event as a short 2/5 odds-on favorite scoring by eight lengths.

went on to sweep the

and

. The event was run in two divisions in 1975 and the winners were both trained and owned in part by Louie J. Roussel III. In 1985 the distance of the event was increased to miles. The event was not held between 1986 and 1991. The event was upgraded to Grade III status in 2003. In 2005 the event was renamed for

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

inductee Mineshaft, who finished second in the 2003 running to Balto Star. Although Mineshaft was defeated in this event his record of wins that year including the

earned him the title

American Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, or simply Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to san ...

and U.S. Champion Older Male Horse. His son Nates Mineshaft won this event in 2012. The event continues to be a major prep for the

. In 2020 the conditions of the event were changed from a handicap, to a stakes race with allowance weight conditions.

Records

Speed record: * miles: 1:42.01 –

Olympiad An olympiad (, ''Olympiás'') is a period of four years, particularly those associated with the Ancient Olympic Games, ancient and Olympic Games, modern Olympic Games. Although the ancient Olympics were established during Archaic Greece, Greece ...

(2022) (New Track Record) Margins: *8 lengths –

(1976) Most wins: * 2 - Silver Dust (2019, 2020) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), 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 ...

: * 3 - Eddie Martin Jr. (1994, 1999, 2003) * 3 -

Robby Albarado Robby J. Albarado (born September 11, 1973) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding at the age of 10 and progressed to riding at bush tracks in his native Louisiana by the age of 12. After turning professional, he earned ...

(2000, 2002, 2008) * 3 -

Rosie Napravnik Anna Rose "Rosie" Napravnik (born February 9, 1988) is a former American Thoroughbred horse race, Thoroughbred horse racing jockey and two-time winner of the Kentucky Oaks. Beginning her career in 2005, she was regularly ranked among the top joc ...

(2011, 2013, 2014) Most wins by a trainer: * 3 - Louie J. Roussel III (1975 - 2 divisions, 1994) Most wins by an owner: * 2 - Louie J. Roussel III (1975, 1994) * 2 -

John A. Franks John Franks (April 21, 1925 - December 31, 2003) was an American businessman and a Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. A native of Haughton, Louisiana, he earned a degree in geology from Louisiana State University. In 1957, he founded the hi ...

(1997, 1999) * 2 - Anstu Stables (2003, 2015) * 2 - Tom R. Durant (2019, 2020) Whirlaway/Mineshaft – Louisiana Stakes double: * Guitar Player (1973), Tom Tulle (1974), Hearts of Lettuce (1975),

(1976), Bucks Nephew (1996) Whirlaway/Mineshaft –

double: *

(1976), Precocity (1999), Include (2001), Master Command (2007), Nates Mineshaft (2012), Honorable Duty (2017),

(2022)

Winners

''Notes:''
† The 1978 renewal of the Whirlaway Handicap was cancelled after several trainers removed their horses from the entry list and there were insufficient runners to hold the event.
† The 2006 renewal of the Mineshaft Handicap was not scheduled due to the shortened Fair Grounds meeting being transferred to

Louisiana Downs Louisiana Downs Casino & Racetrack is a horse racing track and racino located in Bossier City, Louisiana, Bossier City in northwestern Louisiana. It opened in 1974. The casino features over 800 slot machines. The track specification is a dirt trac ...

with continuing after effects of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

which damaged the racetrack.

References

{{reflist, 2 Fair Grounds Race Course Graded stakes races in the United States Horse races in New Orleans Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Open mile category horse races Horse races established in 1973 1973 establishments in Louisiana

History

Records

Winners

See also

References