June, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Maxfield Reigns Supreme in Stephen Foster

Godolphin homebred Maxfield (Street Sense) put on a show at Churchill Downs yet again with a dazzling victory in the GII Stephen Foster S., a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Running off the fence early, the 2-5 chalk settled in sixth as longshots Empty Tomb (Speightstown) and Sprawl (City Zip) duked it out through opening splits of :23.33 and :46.88. Making an eye-catching move up the outside on the backstretch run, the dark bay swiftly picked off rivals, flying up to take charge at the quarter pole. It was all over from there. With Jose Ortiz still motionless in the irons, Maxfield charged home down the fourth path to win as he pleased by 3 1/2 lengths. Warrior's Charge (Munnings) filled the place spot and Sprawl held third.

“It was a really good performance,” trainer Brendan Walsh said. “It looks like he continues to improve all the time. Thankfully now he's been good and healthy. Our goal has been to get a good string of races into him and that's starting to happen. I'm glad to get over another obstacle today. We'll hope he comes out of today's race in good order and we'll move on to the next one.”

“I just sort of had to stay out of his way,” said Ortiz. “He has a big stride and does it so nicely. It's great to be back here at Churchill with this horse. He seems to be getting better and loves it here.”

“We had a lot of confidence today,” said Godolphin's North American President Jimmy Bell. “He settled down up the backside and down the lane he finished in a strong hand ride. It's his fourth start of the year, so it's good to see the succession of races coming together. We can look at the [Aug. 7 GI] Whitney as a primary target.”

With Maxfield and G1 Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper), who is expected to make his next start in the July 3 GII Suburban H., Godolphin has a strong hold on the older male division. The powerhouse operation also won the G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby earlier Saturday with Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

Maxfield was two-for-two as a juvenile, following his debut win at Churchill in 2019 with a decisive victory in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. He was the early favorite for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, but was forced to scratch with a minor lameness. Making a victorious return in this venue's GIII Matt Winn S. last May, he was forced off the Triple Crown trail with a condylar fracture. Making yet another comeback in the Tenacious S. at the Fair Grounds in December, the dark bay proved no worse for wear with a facile score and followed suit with a win in that venue's GIII Mineshaft S. Feb. 13. Maxfield suffered the first loss of his career when trying 10-panels for the first time in the GI Santa Anita H. Mar. 6, but rebounded with a dominant victory in the local GII Alysheba S. Apr. 30.

Pedigree Notes:

Maxfield was the second graded winner of the day for Street Sense, following Zaajel's upset in the GII Mother Goose S. at Belmont. His dam Velvety is also responsible for an unraced sophomore colt named Dubai Vision (Medaglia d'Oro) and an unraced 2-year-old filly named Loved (Medaglia d'Oro). Her 2020 colt by Street Sense died, but she produced an Uncle Mo colt Mar. 20 of this year. The winner's second dam is MGSW Caress (Storm Cat), who is responsible for Grade I-winning stallion Sky Mesa (Pulpit) and MGSW & GISP Golden Velvet (Seeking the Gold), who in produced GSWs Lucullan (Hard Spun) and Innovative Idea (Bernardini). This is also the family of MGSW sires Bernstein (Storm Cat) and Good Samaritan (Harlan's Holiday); GSW & GISP Country Cat (Storm Cat); and MGSW & GISP sire Della Francesca (Danzig).

Saturday, Churchill Downs
STEPHEN FOSTER S.-GII, $600,000, Churchill Downs, 6-26, 4yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:48.53, ft.
1–MAXFIELD, 121, c, 4, by Street Sense
                1st Dam: Velvety, by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Caress, by Storm Cat
                3rd Dam: La Affirmed, by Affirmed
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh; J-Jose L. Ortiz.
$357,120. Lifetime Record: GISW, 8-7-0-1, $1,265,902.
   Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
   Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Warrior's Charge, 119, h, 5, Munnings–Battling Brook, by
Broken Vow. O-Ten Strike Racing & Madaket Stables LLC; B-Al
Shaquab Racing (FL); T-Brad H. Cox. $115,200.
3–Sprawl, 119, c, 4, City Zip–Amen Again, by Awesome Again.
O/B-Claiborne Farm & Adele B. Dilschneider (KY); T-Thomas
Drury, Jr. $57,600.
Margins: 3 1/4, 2, 2 3/4. Odds: 0.40, 7.20, 12.80.
Also Ran: South Bend, Chess Chief, Empty Tomb, Necker Island, Visitant, Silver Dust. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Maxfield Gives Godolphin Another Stakes Win In Stephen Foster

Earlier today, the blue silks of Godolphin came home first at the Curragh in County Kildaire, Ireland, with Hurricane Lane dashing to the lead in the final furlong to win the Group 1 Irish Derby. Hours later, clad in the same Godolphin blue, Jose Ortiz guided Maxfield to an easy win in the Grade 2 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., clinching a guaranteed spot in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar in Del Mar, Ca. in November.

Starting from post eight in a field of nine, Maxfield broke clean, content to sit midpack as Empty Tomb took the early lead with Claiborne Farm's Sprawl just behind him, Necker Island in third. In the backstretch, Maxfield was sixth, Empty Tomb and Sprawl still running one-two, but, as the field entered the final turn, Sprawl took over the lead and Ortiz put Maxfield in gear. Around the turn, Maxfield picked off horses, overtaking Sprawl as their field entered the stretch. From there, Maxfield drew away, increasing his advantage to three and a quarter lengths as he hit the wire. Behind him, Warrior's Charge passed Sprawl in the stretch to take second place, with Sprawl holding onto third and South Bend fourth. The time for the mile and an eight was 1:48.53.

Find this race's chart here.

Maxfield paid $2.80, $2.20, and $2.10. Warrior's Charge paid $5.00 and $3.60. Sprawl paid $4.20 to show.

The G2 Stephen Foster Stakes is a Win and You're In race on the road to the Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar Nov. 6. Winning horses receive a free and guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the corresponding Breeders' Cup race.

Bred and owned by Godolphin, Maxfield was sired by 2007 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense out of the Bernadini mare Velvety. Saturday's win gives Maxfield his third victory in four starts in 2021 and his seventh win in eight lifetime starts, with career earnings of $776,640. His other 2021 wins include the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs and the Grade 3 Mineshaft Stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La.

The post Maxfield Gives Godolphin Another Stakes Win In Stephen Foster appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Set Piece Rallies From Back of The Pack To Win Wise Dan Stakes At Churchill Downs

Weaving through horses like a car on a busy freeway, Florent Geroux moved Juddmonte's Set Piece from near the back of the ten-horse field to catch Somelikeithotbrown in the stretch and win the Grade 2 Wise Dan Stakes by a half-length at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. On a firm turf course, Set Piece overcame a disadvantageous start to find a hole on the hedge and pull out the win for trainer Brad Cox, who was leading all trainers going into the spring meet's final day.

At the start, Set Piece, breaking from post one, found himself squeezed back to next to last when several horses came over to find running positions for the first half of the race. Somelikeithotbrown, fresh off his winning performance in the Grade 2 Dinner Party Stakes on Pimlico's Preakness Stakes undercard, took the lead, with a half length back to Field Pass in second and then another two lengths back to Mutakatif in third.

Somelikeithotbrown maintained that lead through the stretch as Geroux moved Set Piece through the middle of the field, going first to the middle of the pack and then ducking to the inside of Mutakatif to take advantage of space on the hedge. Set Piece accelerated, closing the gap between him and Somelikeithotbrown. Jose Ortiz got Somelikeithotbrown to rally and try to hold off Set Piece, but the Juddmonte gelding was too much for the son of Big Brown. Set Piece passed Somelikeithotbrown in the race's final yards, hitting the wire a half-length in front. The time for the mile and a sixteenth G2 Wise Dan was 1:40.50.

Find this race's chart here.

Set Piece paid $5.40, $3.40, and $2.40. Somelikeithotbrown paid $3.80 and $2.80. Ride a Comet paid $3.00 to show.

Owned and bred by Juddmonte Farm, Set Piece was sired by Dansili out of Portodora, by King Mambo. His win in the G2 Wise Dan Stakes is his third win in five starts this year, with two other wins at Churchill Downs, the Douglas Park Overnight Stakes and the Opening Verse Overnight Stakes. Set Piece has nine wins in 16 lifetime starts for earnings of $300,996.

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Super Saver Colt Last to First in Bashford Manor

Double Thunder put an exclamation point on what was already a great day for both his trainer Todd Pletcher and sire Super Saver with a decisive score in the GIII Bashford Manor S. at Churchill Downs. Just 15 minutes prior, Pletcher, who was also celebrating his birthday Saturday, won the GII Mother Goose S. at his Belmont base with Zaajel (Street Sense). Also, four races earlier at Churchill, Super Saver's Letruska took the GII Fleur de Lis S. The gray broke fine, but backed out of it immediately to trail the field as Lansdowne (Super Saver) blazed through an opening quarter in :21 flat with Tapped Off (Tapiture) bearing down on him from second. Still last approaching the bend, Double Thunder cut the corner to improve his position and wove his way between horses in the lane, punching through at the sixteenth-pole and rolling clear to score. Vodka N Water (Fed Biz) completed the exacta.

“I didn't think we would break as slow as he did so we had to adjust a little bit after the start,” Velazquez said. “Once I got to the quarter-pole I had a lot of confidence in him and thought we had a big shot. He did everything professionally today. Warming up, he didn't handle going with the pony as well so I warmed him up by himself. I knew there would be a lot of speed in the race and wanted to keep him close–just not last. You don't expect a 2-year-old to handle things like that as well as he did. He took dirt and handled it well and I think he can move forward a lot from that.”

Donning cap and gown in his 4 1/2-panel debut at Monmouth Park June 5, Double Thunder was given a 4-1 chance for this step up in class with Pletcher's first-call rider Johnny Velazquez in the irons.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
BASHFORD MANOR S.-GIII, $150,000, Churchill Downs, 6-26, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.17, ft.
1–DOUBLE THUNDER, 120, c, 2, by Super Saver
                1st Dam: Rattataptap (GSP, $197,687), by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Sindy With an S, by Broken Vow
                3rd Dam: Backroom Blues, by Dixieland Band
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($60,000 Ylg
'20 FTKSEL). O-Phoenix Thoroughbred, LTD; B-WinStar Farm,
LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-John R. Velazquez. $88,350.
Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $116,850. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Vodka N Water, 122, c, 2, Fed Biz–Camielee, by Harlan's
Holiday. ($3,500 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Parkland Thoroughbreds,
Medallion Racing, RTA Family Trust & Little Red Feather
Racing; B-T/C Stable, LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.
$28,500.
3–Glacial, 120, c, 2, Frosted–Country Cafe, by Lion Heart.
($65,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL; $140,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-Robert
Masterson; B-Mike G. Rutherford (KY); T-Norm W. Casse.
$14,250.
Margins: 4 3/4, HD, 2. Odds: 4.10, 7.40, 3.10.
Also Ran: Knocker Down, Red Run, Shesgotattitude, Lansdowne, Whistlewhileyoumow, Whatstheconnection, Tapped Off. Scratched: Rising Outlaw. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

Double Thunder's victory makes him the 13th graded scorer and 29th black-type winner for the Pletcher-trained GI Kentucky Derby hero Super Saver, who initially stood at WinStar, but was sold to Turkey. His GSP dam Rattataptap is a daughter of Grade III winner Sindy With An S (Broken Vow), who is also the dam of SW & GSP My Miss Tapit (Tapit) and GSP I'll Wrap It Up (Tapit). Double Thunder is the 9-year-old mare's first foal and she has since produced a yearling colt by Speightstown and a 2021 filly by the same WinStar stallion.

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