Mesabi Maiden

Mesabi Maiden
Sire	Cox's Ridge
Grandsire	Best Turn
Dam	Steel Maiden
Damsire	Damascus
Sex	Mare
Foaled	1993
Country	United States
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Stuart S. Janney III & Ogden Phipps
Owner	Stuart S. Janney III & Ogden Phipps
Trainer	Gary C. Contessa
Record	18: 3-1-6
Earnings	$240,314
Major wins
Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (1996)
Horse (Equus ferus caballus)
Last updated on July 1, 2011

Mesabi Maiden (foaled in 1993 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred filly racehorse. The daughter of Cox's Ridge and Steel Maiden out of Hall of Fame Champion Damascus will best be remembered for winning the mile and an eighth Grade II $200,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on May 17, 1996.^[1]

Racing Career

Mesabi Maiden was one of those "One Hit Wonders" and was only a moderate success on the race course. In fact she finished in-the-money in 56% of her races but only won three times during her entire racing career. She broke her maiden in her third start in December 1995 and then she went on to win an allowance race in early March of 1996 at Aqueduct Racetrack. Although she was not a dominant horse she was a very capable filly and her owners Stuart S. Janney III and Ogden Phipps along with trainer Gary C. Contessa decided to take a shot at the second jewel of the defacto filly Triple Crown, the Grade II $200,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes in May 1996. In that mile and an eighth race on the dirt, Mesabi Maiden beat a field of eight including heavy favorite Cara Rafaela and stakes winner Ginny Lynn. The final time for the nine furlong Black-Eyed Susan was 1:51.00 flat under her jockey Mike E. Smith.

After the Black-Eyed Susan, Mesabi Maiden went on a show streak of finishing in third place in five of her last six races. Some of those third place finishes came in graded stakes races like the; the grade two Monmouth Breeders' Cup Oaks in New Jersey finishing behind Top Secret, the grade three Anne Arundel Stakes at Laurel Park Racecourse against Hey Let's Dance and the grade three Astarita Stakes at Belmont Park losing to Broad Dynamite. Mesabi Maiden finished her racing career with six third place finishes and three wins, an overall record of 3-1-6 out of 18 starts with earnings of $245,314.

References

1. ^ Pedigree On-line Thoroughbred Database