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Maxfield Drawn Outside For Churchill Return In Alysheba

Godolphin's Maxfield will look to get back on track following the first defeat of his six-race career when he tops a field of six older runners for Friday's 18th running of the $400,000 Alysheba (G2), going 1 1/16 miles on the main track at Churchill Downs.

The Alysheba will be the sixth race on the 13-race program with a 1:26 p.m. post time.

Trained by Brendan Walsh, Maxfield notched victories in his first five starts that included triumphs in the Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland, the Matt Winn (G3) at Churchill Downs and the Tenacious and Mineshaft (G3) at Fair Grounds. He finished third in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) in his most recent start.

Jose Ortiz has the mount Friday exiting post six.

Making his second start off an extended layoff, the 5-year-old Roadster will try to regain the form that saw him win the G1 Santa Anita Derby in 2019. The colt returns for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert and will be ridden by reigning champion jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.

The field for the Alysheba, with riders and weights from the rail out, is:

Visitant (Umberto Rispoli, 118 pounds)
Sonneman (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118)
Attachment Rate (Joe Talamo, 118)
Chess Chief (Luis Saez, 120)
Roadster (Irad Ortiz Jr., 118)
Maxfield (Jose Ortiz, 120)

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American Graded Stakes Standings Presented By Muirfield Insurance: Godolphin Sets The Pace Among Breeders

Following a season where the Godolphin operation took home the Eclipse Award as outstanding owner, the blue team has set a blistering pace on its quest to collect its second trophy as outstanding breeder.

Godolphin leads all breeders with five North American graded stakes winners through March 9, all homebreds, with the most recent addition Micheline, who took the Grade 2 Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on March 6.

It was the seasonal debut for the 4-year-old Bernardini filly, and her first career graded stakes win after several close calls in previous campaigns. She is out of the multiple Grade 1-winning Include mare Panty Raid.

Champion Essential Quality, made his seasonal debut a winning one with a powerful drive down the sloppy Oaklawn Park stretch to win the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes by 4 1/4 lengths on Feb. 27. He is a son of Tapit, out of the Grade 3-placed Elusive Quality mare Delightful Quality.

Godolphin has a strong pair of 4-year-old colts at the top of the older male division, in Maxfield and Mystic Guide.

Maxfield, a son of Street Sense, shined in his first start of the season with a four-wide rally on Feb. 13 to win the G3 Mineshaft Stakes at the Fair Grounds.

He is out of the winning Bernardini mare Velvety, who raced as a Godolphin homebred in England.

Mystic Guide added his name to the fold with a dominant performance in the G3 Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 27, drawing off to win by six lengths over a sloppy sealed track.

Mystic Guide is also out of a mare that competed under the Godolphin colors in Music Note, a daughter of A.P. Indy who picked up five Grade 1 wins over the course of her career.

Rounding out the group was Antoinette, a 4-year-old daughter of Hard Spun who also won her seasonal bow with an effortless front-running triumph in the G3 The Very One Stakes, also on Feb. 27.

Another multi-generational member of the Godolphin breeding program, Antoinette is out of the Godolphin-homebred Elusive Quality mare Shuruq, who was a group stakes winner in the UAE and Turkey.

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Idol Finishes Best of All To Take the Big ‘Cap

Calvin Nguyen's Idol (Curlin) seemed to relish the 10 furlongs of Saturday's GI Santa Anita H. as he turned the tables on Express Train (Union Rags) to post a mild 5-1 upset. Even-money invader Maxfield (Street Sense) could only manage third with no obvious excuse. Last seen finishing third as the favorite behind Express Train when trapped behind a slow pace in the Jan. 30

GII San Pasqual S., the bay was kept off the inside and unhurried as he sat second last. Last year's GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby hero King Guillermo (Uncle Mo) provided plenty of pace through splits of :22.82, :47.12 and 1:12.26. Joel Rosario began to shake the reins at Idol heading towards the three-eighths pole, as Express Train and Maxfield mounted their own bids. Express Train stuck the front leaving the home bend, and Maxfield needed to find more as both Independence Hall (Constitution) and Tizamagician (Tiznow) got in the mix. Idol, meanwhile, continued to plug away down the center, found his best stride in midstretch and bounded to the front with good-looking strides to notch a breakthrough victory.

“My horse loves this distance,” Rosario said. “I just wanted to keep him away from the rail and he handled it easily. He responded when it came time to run and he had some kick. I appreciate the opportunity Richard Baltas gave me for this ride. I had never been on him. I watched all his races and I could see he tries hard every time. What a strong finish today! He ran really big.”

Second in his six-furlong unveiling at Churchill Sept. 5, Idol graduated over an additional eighth three weeks later, good for a solid 94 Beyer Speed Figure. He dominated a 1 3/16-mile allowance under the Twin Spires Nov. 8, and finished up his late-starting sophomore campaign with a close second to re-opposing Kiss Today Goodbye (Cairo Prince) in the local

8 1/2-panel GII San Antonio S. Dec. 26. Tizamagician finished between Express Train and Idol in the San Pasqual after setting the pace.

“I know he was running really hard around the turn, he was wide, he was far back but Joel said he didn't want any of the kick back in his face, so we took the wide route,” said conditioner Richard Baltas. “He's got a big lovely long stride so that's why we were thinking a mile and a quarter for sure. We needed all of Joel Rosario's power in the stretch to get him home. It was a great win, it's a race you dream about winning.

“It's unbelievable, I've been coming here since I was 13 years old. Before I even got to be a horse trainer, I saw all the greats run here in the Big 'Cap and you never think that you're gonna be here but you keep working hard and God blessed you.

“[Owner] Calvin [Nguyen] came and claimed a horse with me named Freedom Crest, it was our first horse. I've had several different jobs back and forth, Calvin's always been a loyal guy and he wanted to come back. This was a blessing for both of us. Loyalty means a lot.”

Freedom Crest, claimed as a maiden for $32,000 in 1999, would go on to take the GII San Pasqual H. and GII Goodwood Breeders' Cup H. in 2001. He was 10th in the following year's Big 'Cap.

“It's been a wild ride,” said Nguyen. “Richie's put together a great team and I'm just very fortunate to be a part of it. He's just a great guy, I've known him for so long. He works hard, he's a horse lover, he's here every day… You can't dream about this, we are just very fortunate and you enjoy it while you can.”

Saturday, Santa Anita
SANTA ANITA H.-GI, $401,500, Santa Anita, 3-6, 4yo/up, 1 1/4m, 2:02.46, ft.
1–IDOL, 119, c, 4, by Curlin
1st Dam: Marion Ravenwood (SW, $112,598), by A.P. Indy
2nd Dam: Andujar, by Quiet American
3rd Dam: Nureyev's Best, by Nureyev
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. ($375,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Calvin Nguyen; B-My
Meadowview LLC (KY); T-Richard Baltas; J-Joel Rosario.
$240,000. Lifetime Record: 6-3-2-1, $416,464. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
*Triple Plus*.
2–Express Train, 123, c, 4, Union Rags–I'm a Flake, by
Mineshaft. ($500,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-C R K Stable LLC;
B-Dixiana Farms LLC (KY); T-John A. Shirreffs. $80,000.
3–Maxfield, 124, c, 4, Street Sense–Velvety, by Bernardini.
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh. $48,000.
Margins: HF, 1HF, HF. Odds: 5.40, 5.00, 1.10.
Also Ran: Independence Hall, Tizamagician, Kiss Today Goodbye, Coastal Defense, King Guillermo. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Pedigree Notes:

The lightly raced Idol became the 75th stakes winner for Curlin, who made the transition from two-time Horse of the Year to one of the country's leading sires. Standing at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, Curlin has 37 graded winners, including additional 2021 GSW Clairiere, one of the early favorites for the GI Kentucky Oaks. The cross of Curlin over A.P. Indy is turning into a classic, with seven black-type winners bred on the identical cross as Idol, including GISW Global Campaign and GSW Malathaat. Super broodmare sire A.P. Indy also added to his ever-growing total of stakes winners out of his daughters, ending Saturday at 231 with Idol's initial Grade I score and Weyburn (Pioneerof the Nile)'s GIII Gotham S. Idol's dam, a listed winner, sold for $400,000 at Keeneland November when Idol was a weanling. Her 2019 filly, who hammered for $350,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale, is a full-sister to Idol. Marion Ravenwood also has a 2020 colt by Violence and was bred to City of Light for this term. Her fifth dam, Your Hostess, a full-sister to Kelso's sire Your Host, was granddam of 1969 Derby/Preakness winner Majestic Prince (Raise a Native) and great-great-granddam of 1998 Derby/Preakness winner Real Quiet (Quiet American).

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Maxfield ‘Ready To Take That Next Step’ In Santa Anita Handicap

Maxfield, an undefeated son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, carries top weight of 124 pounds in Saturday's Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap presented by San Manuel Casino, Santa Anita's marquee event for older horses which will be run for the 84th time at The Great Race Place.

Winner of all five of his career races by daylight margins, coming from out of the clouds in his first three, Maxfield arrived at Santa Anita Wednesday from the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, where he had his final work Saturday for the mile and a quarter classic, going a half mile in 49.20.

“We've just been galloping and jogging him in the mornings since he arrived,” said his 47-year-old trainer, Irishman Brendan Walsh, who will be on hand for the race. The four-year-old colt is bedded down with trainer Simon Callaghan.

Maxfield won his debut race at Churchill Downs Sept. 14, 2019, coming from 10th at odds of 10-1 to score by three-parts of a length at a flat mile, then came back in his next start to capture the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland at 6-1 by 5 ½ lengths, again in Silky Sullivan fashion.

He was successful yet again using those dramatic tactics in his three-year-old debut at Churchill Downs last May 23, closing from eighth, ridden in all three races by Jose Ortiz Jr.

In his last two races, Maxfield, owned and bred by global racing and breeding giant Godolphin, has been much closer to the pace. He won a restricted stakes at the Fair Grounds by 2 ½ lengths on Dec. 19, 2020, and the Grade 3 Mineshaft in his four-year-old debut by 3 ¾ lengths on Feb. 13, each time under Florent Geroux, who will be aboard again in the Big 'Cap. Maxfield's last four races have all been at 1 1/16 miles.

It may be worth noting that Maxfield faced smaller fields in his last two starts than he did in his first three, which could have accounted to his having been in closer attendance to the lead.

“He's just a stronger horse now,” Walsh said. “I think as a two-year-old he was a bit immature, maybe not that strong, and that's why he wasn't getting away from the gate super-fast, but that didn't seem to have a negative affect upon him. That said, his last three starts he's been a lot closer to the pace.”

Walsh, in his third year training for Godolphin, which owns and bred current undefeated Kentucky Derby favorite and Eclipse champion Essential Quality, concurred when asked if the mile and a quarter of the Big 'Cap seems ideal for Maxfield.

“Absolutely,” he said. “He's bred to get the mile and a quarter and his running style suits it, too. This will be a good test for him, having to travel out here and running on a different track, but we feel he's ready to take that next step.”

The Big 'Cap presented by San Manuel Casino, race 10 of 11 with a 12 noon first post time: Independence Hall, Flavien Prat, 4-1; Maxfield, Florent Geroux, 8-5; Kiss Today Goodbye, Mike Smith, 8-1; Coastal Defense, John Velazquez, 15-1; Express Train, Juan Hernandez, 3-1; Idol, Joel Rosario, 6-1; Tizamagician, Drayden Van Dyke, 12-1; and King Guillermo, Abel Cedillo, 12-1.

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