Possibly the first.....

[The Indomitable DrugS]

horse to ever win a Graded Stake with a sponge in her nose.

http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=43886

And in other news I forgot to post about earlier today - a first time Steve Asmussen filly won a 75K stake at Delta Downs by 19 lengths last Saturday. Her final time was a second and a half faster than the division for the colts.

Back to the sponge, It's a good thing McLaughlin and those connections aren't the shaddiest people in the game - or they could always say they found one in Daaher and he's being retired from the damages caused by it. However, they'd still have to explain his Fort Erie loss.