Mac Diarmida Stakes

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]

Mac Diarmida Stakes

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
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	[5]
2024	Starting Over	7	Edgard Zayas	Michael J. Maker	Nice Guys Stables	1+3⁄8 miles	2:12.29	$200,000	II	[6]
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	[7]
2022	Temple	6	Jose L. Ortiz	Michael J. Maker	Paradise Farms & David Staudacher	abt. 1+3⁄8 miles	2:15.30	$200,000	II	[8]
2021	Phantom Currency	5	Paco Lopez	Bryan Lynch	Jim & Susan Hill	1+3⁄8 miles	2:13.84	$200,000	II	[9]
2020	Zulu Alpha	7	Tyler Gaffalione	Michael J. Maker	Michael M. Hui	1+3⁄8 miles	2:11.47	$200,000	II	[10]
2019	Zulu Alpha	6	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Michael J. Maker	Michael M. Hui	1+3⁄8 miles	2:16.39	$200,000	II	[11]
2018	Sadler's Joy	5	Julien R. Leparoux	Thomas Albertrani	Woodslane Farm	1+3⁄8 miles	2:12.93	$200,000	II	[12]
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	[13]
2016	Grand Tito	6	Emisael Jaramillo	Gustavo Delgado	Grupo 7C Racing Stable	1+3⁄8 miles	2:12.55	$200,000	II	[14]
2015	Main Sequence	6	Rajiv Maragh	H. Graham Motion	Flaxman Holdings	1+3⁄8 miles	2:15.06	$200,000	II	[15]
2014	Twilight Eclipse	5	Jose Lezcano	Thomas Albertrani	West Point Thoroughbreds	1+3⁄8 miles	2:15.18	$200,000	II	[16]
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	[17]
2012	Simmard	7	Javier Castellano	Roger L. Attfield	Roger L. Attfield & William Werner	1+3⁄8 miles	2:11.71	$150,000	II	[18]
2011	Prince Will I Am	4	John R. Velazquez	Michelle Nihei	Casa Farms I	1+3⁄8 miles	2:13.04	$150,000	II	[19]
2010	Presious Passion	7	Elvis Trujillo	Mary Hartmann	Patricia A. Generazio	1+3⁄8 miles	2:13.49	$150,000	II	[20]
2009	Presious Passion	6	Elvis Trujillo	Mary Hartmann	Patricia A. Generazio	1+3⁄8 miles	2:12.10	$150,000	II	[21]
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	[22]
2007	Ramazutti	5	John R. Velazquez	Anthony J. Sciametta Jr.	Anstu Stable	1+3⁄8 miles	2:11.86	$150,000	II	[23]
2006	Hotstufanthensome	6	Rajiv Maragh	Nathan W. Sinclair	Running Horse Farm	1+3⁄8 miles	2:10.90	$100,000	III	[24]
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	[25]
2004	Request for Parole	5	Jose A. Santos	Stanley M. Hough	Jeri & Sam Knighton	1+3⁄8 miles	2:12.58	$100,000	III	[26]
2003	Riddlesdown (IRE)	6	Roger I. Velez	Niall M. O'Callaghan	Gary A. Tanaka	1+3⁄8 miles	2:14.75	$100,000	III	[27]
2002	Crash Course	6	Jerry D. Bailey	Jimmy Croll	J. Mack Robinson	1+3⁄8 miles	2:16.27	$100,000	III	[28]
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	[29]
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	[30]
1998	Copy Editor	6	Jerry D. Bailey	Martin D. Wolfson	Team Valor	1+3⁄8 miles	2:16.72	$100,000	III	[31]
1997	Mecke	5	Jerry D. Bailey	Emanuel Tortora	James Lewis Jr.	1+1⁄4 miles	2:05.80	$72,750	III	[32]
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[33]
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

See also

List of American and Canadian Graded races

External links

• 2020–21 Gulfstream Park Media Guide