Mac Diarmida Stakes
Horse race
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mac Diarmida Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for horses four-years-old and older run over a distance of one-and-three-eighth miles (11 furlongs) on the turf, annually in late February or early March at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. The current purse is $200,000.[1]
| Class | Grade II |
|---|---|
| Location | Gulfstream Park Hallandale Beach, Florida, United States |
| Inaugurated | 1995 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Sponsor | FanDuel TV (since 2025) |
| Website | www.gulfstreampark.com |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+3⁄8 miles (11 furlongs) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Four-year-olds and older |
| Weight | 124 lbs with allowances |
| Purse | $200,000 (since 2014) |
History
The event was inaugurated on 16 January 1995 for three-year-olds at a distance of 1 mile and 70 yards and was held on the dirt track.[2]
The race was named in honor of Florida-bred Mac Diarmida who was the American Champion Male Turf Horse of 1978.[3] The following year, in 1996 the event was lengthened slightly to one-and-one-sixteenth miles and run on the turf.
It was run as a handicap from 1997 through 2008 but is now run under allowance weight conditions. The event was upgraded to Grade III in 1997.[4] In 1997, wet weather forced the race to be moved from the turf course to the main dirt track and set at a distance of one-and-one-quarter miles with conditions changed to allow horses four years old and older. In 1998 the race was changed to its present distance of one-and-three-eighths miles.[1]
The race was not run in 2001.[1] The event was upgraded once again in 2007 to Grade II.[4] The event was originally held in January but since 2017 has been run in late February or early March.[1]
Records
- Speed record
- 1+3⁄8 miles — 2:10.87 Stream of Gold (IRE) (2008)
- Margins
- 4+1⁄4 lengths — Panama City (1999)
- Most wins
- 2 - Presious Passion (2009, 2010)
- 2 - Zulu Alpha – (2019, 2020)
- Most wins by an owner
- 3 - Michael M. Hui (2019, 2020, 2023)
- Most wins by a jockey
- 4 - Jerry Bailey (1997, 1998, 1999, 2002)
- 4 - John R. Velazquez (2007, 2011, 2013, 2025)
- Most wins by a trainer
- 5 - Michael J. Maker (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024)
Winners
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Distance | Time | Purse | Grade | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mac Diarmida Stakes | ||||||||||
| 2026 | Grand Sonata | 7 | Tyler Gaffalione | Todd A. Pletcher | Whisper Hill Farm LLC | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:11.26 | $205,000 | II | [5] |
| 2025 | Capture the Flag | 5 | John R. Velazquez | Todd A. Pletcher | Joseph Allen, Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Westerburg & Jonathan Poulin | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:12.90 | $200,000 | II | [6] |
| 2024 | Starting Over | 7 | Edgard Zayas | Michael J. Maker | Nice Guys Stables | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:12.29 | $200,000 | II | [7] |
| 2023 | Value Engineering | 7 | Jose L. Ortiz | Michael J. Maker | Michael M. Hui & Phil Forte | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:14.20 | $200,000 | II | [8] |
| 2022 | Temple | 6 | Jose L. Ortiz | Michael J. Maker | Paradise Farms & David Staudacher | abt. 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:15.30 | $200,000 | II | [9] |
| 2021 | Phantom Currency | 5 | Paco Lopez | Bryan Lynch | Jim & Susan Hill | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:13.84 | $200,000 | II | [10] |
| 2020 | Zulu Alpha | 7 | Tyler Gaffalione | Michael J. Maker | Michael M. Hui | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:11.47 | $200,000 | II | [11] |
| 2019 | Zulu Alpha | 6 | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Michael J. Maker | Michael M. Hui | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:16.39 | $200,000 | II | [12] |
| 2018 | Sadler's Joy | 5 | Julien R. Leparoux | Thomas Albertrani | Woodslane Farm | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:12.93 | $200,000 | II | [13] |
| 2017 | Wake Forest (GER) | 7 | Javier Castellano | Chad C. Brown | Michael Dubb, Sheep Pond Partners, Bethlehem Stables | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:13.54 | $200,000 | II | [14] |
| 2016 | Grand Tito | 6 | Emisael Jaramillo | Gustavo Delgado | Grupo 7C Racing Stable | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:12.55 | $200,000 | II | [15] |
| 2015 | Main Sequence | 6 | Rajiv Maragh | H. Graham Motion | Flaxman Holdings | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:15.06 | $200,000 | II | [16] |
| 2014 | Twilight Eclipse | 5 | Jose Lezcano | Thomas Albertrani | West Point Thoroughbreds | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:15.18 | $200,000 | II | [17] |
| 2013 | Amira's Prince (IRE) | 4 | John R. Velazquez | William I. Mott | Wachtel Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred & Gary Barber | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:17.14 | $150,000 | II | [18] |
| 2012 | Simmard | 7 | Javier Castellano | Roger L. Attfield | Roger L. Attfield & William Werner | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:11.71 | $150,000 | II | [19] |
| 2011 | Prince Will I Am | 4 | John R. Velazquez | Michelle Nihei | Casa Farms I | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:13.04 | $150,000 | II | [20] |
| 2010 | Presious Passion | 7 | Elvis Trujillo | Mary Hartmann | Patricia A. Generazio | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:13.49 | $150,000 | II | [21] |
| 2009 | Presious Passion | 6 | Elvis Trujillo | Mary Hartmann | Patricia A. Generazio | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:12.10 | $150,000 | II | [22] |
| Mac Diarmida Handicap | ||||||||||
| 2008 | Stream of Gold (IRE) | 7 | Eddie Castro | Kiaran P. McLaughlin | Zabeel Racing | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:10.87 | $150,000 | II | [23] |
| 2007 | Ramazutti | 5 | John R. Velazquez | Anthony J. Sciametta Jr. | Anstu Stable | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:11.86 | $150,000 | II | [24] |
| 2006 | Hotstufanthensome | 6 | Rajiv Maragh | Nathan W. Sinclair | Running Horse Farm | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:10.90 | $100,000 | III | [25] |
| 2005 | Host | 5 | Javier Castellano | John C. Kimmel | Caesar P. Kimmel, Philip J. Solondz & C G Zoe Stable | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:12.83 | $100,000 | III | [26] |
| 2004 | Request for Parole | 5 | Jose A. Santos | Stanley M. Hough | Jeri & Sam Knighton | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:12.58 | $100,000 | III | [27] |
| 2003 | Riddlesdown (IRE) | 6 | Roger I. Velez | Niall M. O'Callaghan | Gary A. Tanaka | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:14.75 | $100,000 | III | [28] |
| 2002 | Crash Course | 6 | Jerry D. Bailey | Jimmy Croll | J. Mack Robinson | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:16.27 | $100,000 | III | [29] |
| 2001 | Race not held | |||||||||
| 2000 | Unite's Big Red | 6 | Jorge F. Chavez | Randy Mills | Breakaway Racing Stable | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:12.14 | $100,000 | III | [30] |
| 1999 | Panama City | 5 | Jerry D. Bailey | William I. Mott | Robert Sangster & Joseph LaCombe | abt. 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:20.65 | $100,000 | III | [31] |
| 1998 | Copy Editor | 6 | Jerry D. Bailey | Martin D. Wolfson | Team Valor | 1+3⁄8 miles | 2:16.72 | $100,000 | III | [32] |
| 1997 | Mecke | 5 | Jerry D. Bailey | Emanuel Tortora | James Lewis Jr. | 1+1⁄4 miles | 2:05.80 | $72,750 | III | [33] |
| Mac Diarmida Stakes | ||||||||||
| 1996 | A Real Zipper | 3 | Aaron Gryder | Ronald B. Spatz | Horses of Course | 1+1⁄16 miles | 1:42.66 | $50,000 | Listed | For 3YO Only[34] |
| 1995 | Kings Fiction | 3 | Robbie Davis | H. Allen Jerkens | Hardwick Stables | 1 mile & 70 yards | 1:43.12 | $50,000 | Listed | For 3YO Only[2] |
Legend:
Turf
Dirt