| Ungraded Stakes race | |
| Location | Laurel Park Racecourse, Laurel, Maryland, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1995 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | www |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 7 furlongs |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-years-old, open |
| Weight | Assigned |
| Purse | US$100,000 |
The Miracle Wood Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held in February at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. The Miracle Wood is open to three-year-olds and is run at seven furlongs on the dirt.
An ungraded stakes, it currently offers a purse of $100,000.[1] The Miracle Wood is also one of Maryland's triple crown prep races. The winner of the race typically moves on to compete in the Private Terms Stakes held in March at Laurel Park Racecourse as well, but winners have also ventured to New York and Kentucky for their next races.[2]
The race was named in honor of Miracle Wood, a champion Maryland bred colt that won many races and accolades. In 2008,the race was shortened from one mile to the current distance of seven furlongs. During the first eleven years of the race (1993–2003), it was run at a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles (8.5 furlongs).
In 2006, Sweetnorthernsaint set a record winning margin of ten lengths. He went on to win the Illinois Derby that year and was the post time favorite in the 132nd Kentucky Derby. A local horse based at Laurel Park Racecourse, Sweetnorthernsaint became a millionaire and placed second in the state's biggest race, the Preakness Stakes.