Wide Country

Wide Country (foal in 1988) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who defeated both male and female competitors. She was bred in Maryland by Diana W. Carlson. She was a chestnut filly out of the mare, Bazooka Babe. Her sire was Magesterial, the multiple stakes winning son of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Northern Dancer.^[1] Wide Country will best be remembered for her gutsy win in the slop in the Grade II $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes over stakes winners John's Decision and Nalees Pin on May 17, 1991.

Three year-old season

In 1991 Tom Tanner's home bred, Wide Country proved to be an indomitable force during her three year-old season, running her win streak to eight straight races (all stakes races at either Pimlico Race Course or Laurel Park Racecourse). The streak began in the final months of 1990. Then it took on greater significance when the chestnut filly overcame adversity to win the Grade II $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes over a muddy race track after losing a shoe. She also won the Grade 3 Pimlico Oaks by a romping eight and a half lengths. Wide Country shipped to Belmont Park and Meadowlands for a summer and fall campaign where she turned in victories in the Caesar's Wish Stakes, Genuine Risk Handicap and the Jameela Stakes and finished second in the Garden City Breeders' Cup Handicap. Trained by Robert W. Camac, Wide Country had fulfilled the promise she had shown at age two when she captured three more Maryland Stakes Races at the end of her sophomore season on her way to state-bred championship honors. At year end she was named Maryland-bred "Horse of the Year for 1991.

Four year-old seasons

At age four Wide Country had a near miss in the stakes feature on Presidents' Day in 1992, finishing only a neck behind the winner in the Barbara Fritchie Handicap at Laurel Park Racecourse. That day she was closing fast and fell just short at the wire to Wood So in the seven furlong grade two stakes race. That spring in late April, Wide Country posted her only major victory of the year when she won the grade two $125,000 Genuine Risk Handicap at Belmont Park in New York over six furlongs on the dirt. That summer in August she had a grade one stakes showing in the Maskette Stakes (now called the Go For Wand Handicap) finishing third to Easy Now in the one mile and an eighth race at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Honors

After her retirement, Laurel Park Racecourse named a race in honor, the Wide Country Stakes which is open to fillies age three years-old and up willing to race seven furlongs on the dirt every March.

What A Summer ended her career with a record of 12 wins out of 26 starts in her career. Her most memorable race was perhaps her dominating performance in the defacto second leg of the filly Triple Crown, the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. In addition to her 12 wins she also placed five times with earnings of $881,221. That record of 17 first or second finishes in 26 starts at 65% is among the best of the decade.^[2]

References

• Wide Country's pedigree and partial racing stats