What a Pleasure Stakes

The What a Pleasure Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds held annually at Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is currently an ungraded stakes race run over a distance of 8.5 furlongs on dirt.

What a Pleasure Stakes
Ungraded Stakes race
LocationMiami Gardens, Florida
United States
Race typeThoroughbred - Flat racing
Race information
Distance1+116 miles (8.5 furlongs)
SurfaceDirt
Trackleft-handed
QualificationTwo-year-olds

The race has traditionally been held during the Tropical at Calder meet, from late October through early January. This meet normally has some of the strongest stakes programs of Calder's eight-month season. Due to permit disputes with Hialeah Park Race Track, the race was pushed back in 1987 and 1991 into the following year. Both of those races were subsequently run for three-year-olds and were won by Zie World (1988) and Sir Pinder (1992).[1]

The race has served as a springboard for Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled as well as such graded-stakes winners as Suave Prospect, Alydeed, Primal, Creme Fraiche, Certain and Morning Bob.

Winners since 1991

edit
Year
Winner
Jockey
Trainer
Time
Grade
2007 Check It Twice Manoel Cruz Kathleen O'Connell 1:46.19
2006 Drums of Thunder Manoel Cruz William Kaplan 1:48.08
2005 Saint Augustus Ramón Domínguez Todd Pletcher 1:47.94
2004 Better Than Bonds Brice Blanc Robert Reinacher 1:48.90
2003 Second of June Cornelio Velásquez William Cesare 1:45.79
2002 Trust N Luck Cornelio Velásquez Ralph Ziadie 1:44.07
2001 O'Rocky Cornelio Velásquez Edward Plesa Jr. 1:47.08
2000 Radical Riley Eduardo Núñez James Hatchett 1:48.33 III
1999 Tahkodha Hills Eibar Coa Ralph Ziadie 1:46.91 III
1998 Certain Javier Castellano Leo Azpurua Jr. 1:47.01 III
1997 Sweetsouthernsaint Abdiel Toribio Leo Azpurua Jr. 1:47.35 III
1996 Arthur L. Eibar Coa Luis Olivares 1:46.17 III
1995 Cat On Tour Gary Boulanger Ronald Spatz 1:47.26 III
1994 Suave Prospect René Douglas Lee Sherman 1:46.88 III
1993 Gator Back Marco Castaneda Thomas Heard Jr. 1:47.06 III
1992 Virgil Cain Eduardo Núñez Daniel Hurtak 1:48.31 III

Earlier winners

edit
  • 1990 - Gizmo's Fortune
  • 1989 - Unbridled
  • 1988 - Reaffirming
  • 1986 - Schism
  • 1986 - Baldski's Star
  • 1985 - Master Cho
  • 1984 - Creme Fraiche
  • 1983 - Morning Bob

The race was run in two divisions in 1986.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Brunetti Sees 'Bloodbath' as Dates Conflict". Archived from the original on February 3, 2013.