Page 12 - August 2015

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Miracle Snow retired
All good things must come to an end, and that
is true of Miracle Snow’s race career. The 11-year-
old gelding’s connections, owner/breeder Melvin Neugebauer of Manzanola, Colorado, and trainer Wes Giles, made the decision after a third-place finish in an allowance race at SunRay Park in July.
It’s not often in an industry weighted toward 2-year-old futurities that we get to cheer for a successful racehorse whose age is measured in double digits. Miracle Snow gave his fans a lot to cheer about. The son of Champion Dean Miracle made 62 starts and won 17 races and finished in the money
an additional 23 times. He earned $734,261, and his ability to compete at the top of his game over such a long span of time garnered him lots of attention. For eight consecutive seasons, he competed in the Lineage Championship-RG3 at The Downs at Albuquerque. He won the 400-yard stakes three times – in 2010, ’12 and ’14. His longevity is not only noteworthy, but also record-setting, as no other horse – regardless of breed – has ever competed in the same stakes race as many times.
“He made all his money the hard way – not in a Futurity or a Derby,” Neugebauer told Steve Bortstein
for a story in the Farmington Daily Times. “He ran every race giving us his all.
“Wes and his family have done such a good job keeping him sound and showing so much care for him all these years,” Neugebauer added. “It’s why he will be staying with the family in his retirement. He (Giles) and Jill (Giles’ wife) have decided to keep him as a pony horse.”
Neugebauer credits a yearly vacation from December to March on helping the horse maintain a long career. But, many owners might have given up on the gelding after his first out.
On August 4, 2006, Miracle Snow made his career debut at SunRay Park, and he beat one of the nine other horses in the field of the 350-yard maiden race. Less than two months later, Miracle Snow broke his maiden at Zia Park and Casino in Hobbs at odds of 70-to-1.
The bettors made him the post-time favorite 10 times, and Miracle Snow made 36 stakes appearances finishing no worse than third in 27 of his stakes.
Here’s wishing Miracle Snow a happy retirement and best of luck at his new career as a pony horse. Those horses being led to the starting gate could sure benefit from learning from the veteran.
The MonTh in review
by Jennifer K. Hancock
10 SPEEDHORSE, August 2015
Track chaTTer
Coady Photography