Happy Birthday Thoroughbreds!

Happy Birthday to all race horses!

January 1 is the official birthday for all thoroughbreds, regardless of their actual birthdays. Which means that Margano is now three and eligible to hit the Triple Crown Trail--along with all other three year olds, like Union Rags, trained by Michael Matz. As we all know it's a long and winding road at best but here are some of the stakes races that may help determine those starters on the first Saturday in May.

I think I would look for Margano to enter and win an allowance race before you see him in stakes race because Barclay Tagg is a very traditional trainer, and should he win that allowance, look for him in a February stakes like the Fountain of Youth. But that is putting the cart way before the horse.

In the meantime, here are some stakes races to whet your appetite for what is yet to come.

J A N U A R Y
1 Gulfstream Park Derby Gulfstream 1 1/16 M
7 Count Fleet Stakes Aqueduct 1 M 70 yards
7 Turfway Prevue Stakes Turfway 6 1/2 F
7 Sham Stakes Santa Anita 1 M
14 Triple Sec Stakes Delta Downs 7 1/2 F
14 Holy Bull Stakes Gulfstream 1 M
14 California Derby Golden Gate 1 1/16 M
14 Pasco Stakes Tampa Bay Downs 7 F
16 Smarty Jones Stakes Oaklawn 1 M
16 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes Aqueduct 6 F
21 Lecomte Stakes Fair Grounds 1 M 70 yards
21 Pepsi Cola Stakes Sunland Park 6 F
21 Kitten's Joy Stakes Gulfstream Park 1/16 M Turf
28 Dancing Count Stakes Laurel 6 F

F E B R U A R Y
4 WEBN Stakes Turfway 1 M
4 Louisiana Premier Night Prince Delta Downs 7 F
4 Needles Stakes Gulfstream 5 F Turf
4 Robert B. Lewis Stakes Santa Anita 1 1/8 M
4 Sam F. Davis Stakes Tampa Bay Downs 1 1/16 M
5 Whirlaway Stakes Aqueduct 1 1/16 M
9 UAE 2000 Guineas Meydan 1 M
11 Hutcheson Stakes Gulfstream 7 F
18 El Camino Real Derby Golden Gate 1 1/8 M
19 San Vicente Stakes Santa Anita 7 F
20 Southwest Stakes Oaklawn Park 1 M
25 Risen Star Stakes Fair Grounds 1 1/16 M
25 Gentilly Stakes Fair Grounds 1 1/16 M Turf
25 Miracle Wood Stakes Laurel 7 F
25 Borderland Derby Sunland Park 1 1/16 M
26 Turf Paradise Derby Turf Paradise 1 1/16 M
26 Fountain of Youth Gulfstream 1 1/8 M

M A R C H
3 Gazebo Stakes Oaklawn Park 6 F
3 Pelican Stakes Delta Downs 5 F
3 John Battaglia Memorial Turfway 1 1/16 M
3 The Gotham Aqueduct 1 1/16 M
10 Swale Stakes Gulfstream 7 F
10 Tampa Bay Derby Tampa Bay Downs 1 1/16 M
10 Al Bastakiya Meydan 1 3/16 M
10 Fred Capossela Aqueduct 6 F
10 Black Gold Stakes Fair Grounds 7 1/2 F Turf
10 San Felipe Stakes Santa Anita 1 1/16 M
11 Palm Beach Stakes Gulfstream 1 1/8 M Turf
17 The Rebel Oaklawn Park 1 1/16 M
17 Private Terms Laurel 1 M
24 Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes Turfway 1 1/8 M
24 Rushaway Stakes Turfway 1 1/16 M
24 Hansel Stakes Turfway 6 F
25 Sunland Derby Sunland 1 1/8 M
25 New Mexico Breeders' Derby Sunland 1 M
31 Florida Derby Gulfstream 1 1/8 M
31 UAE Derby Meydan 1 3/16 M
31 Echo Eddie Stakes Santa Anita 6 1/2 F

A P R I L
1 Louisiana Derby Fair Grounds 1 1/16 M
1 Crescent City Derby Fair Grounds 1 1/16 M
6 Transylvania Stakes Keeneland 1 1/16 M Turf
7 Wood Memorial Aqueduct 1 1/8 M
7 The Bay Shore Aqueduct 7 F
7 Illinois Derby Hawthorne 1 1/8 M
7 Santa Anita Derby Santa Anita 1 1/8 M
7 Dayton Andrews Dodge Sophomore Turf Tampa Bay Downs 1 1/16 M Turf
7 Ocala Breeder's Sales Sophomore OBS 7 F
7 Bachelor Stakes Oaklawn Park 6 F
9 Lafayette Stakes Keeneland 7 F
14 Blue Grass Keeneland 1 1/8 M
14 Arkansas Derby Oaklawn Park 1 1/8 M
14 Northern Spur Oaklawn Park 1 M
17 KHEY Country Sprint Sunland Park 6 F
21 Lexington Stakes Keeneland 1 1/16 M
21 The Jerome Aqueduct 1 M
28 Derby Trial Churchill Downs 1 M
28 Land of Lincoln Stakes Hawthorne 6 F

M A Y
5 Kentucky Derby Churchill Downs 1 1/4 M
12 The Peter Pan Belmont 1 1/8 M
12 Lone Star Derby Lone Star Park 1 1/16 M
12 Alcatraz Stakes Golden Gate 1 1/16 M Turf
19 Preakness Stakes Pimlico 1 3/16 M

J U N E
9 Belmont Stakes Belmont 1 1/2 M