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Maxfield Still Unbeaten After Winning Return In Tenacious At Fair Grounds

A bit of an enigma despite an undefeated record coming in, the Godolphin homebred Maxfield once again answered the immediate question in front of him, taking the Tenacious Stakes in what was just his second start as a 3-year-old to cap the 13-race Santa Super Saturday program at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans, La.

Twice derailed by ankle injuries, the Brendan Walsh trainee returned from his second extended layoff to win for the fourth consecutive time to begin his career.

“I'm relieved,” Walsh said. “It's nice to get him back (to the races) and have him run so well. He was working so well going into it, you're just looking for confirmation. He gave us what we needed to see. Hopefully he comes out of it ok and we move forward from here.”

Away alertly for jockey Florent Geroux, who won four races on the day, the sophomore son of Street Sense put himself in a perfect pressing position just off the flank of the pacesetting Cool Bobby through moderate fractions of 24.63 and 48.39. The .50-1 favorite then engaged the leader on the far turn, took over at the top of the stretch, and won by a comfortable 2 ½ lengths in a final time of 1:42.35 for 1 1/16 miles over a fast track. Sonneman finished well late to be second and it was another 1 ¼ lengths back to Dinar in third.

“This is a horse who is maturing,” Geroux said. “When I worked him out of the gate a few weeks ago, he was very sharp away from there, so I was pretty confident he'd be up closer than he had been in his previous races. He got me in a great position and he was in a nice rhythm. He was comfortable and happy and I loved my spot. Turning for home he gave me another gear and I kept him busy all the way to the wire because I wanted to make sure he got something out of it.”

Off slowly in the career debut over a one turn mile at Churchill and the subsequent start in the Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland, before rattling home late to win both, Maxfield was forced to miss the Breeders' Cup Juvenile with an ankle chip. When the Kentucky Derby was pushed back to the first Saturday in September due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the connections were in a better position to bring their prized colt back slowly.

A return run in the Matt Winn (G3) on May 23 at Churchill proved to be adventurous, but successful. Five-wide and shuffled back while in tight on the first turn and hung seven-wide on the bend for home, Maxfield leveled off in the stretch before running down Ny Traffic late, and with a little in reserve.

“He was immature as a 2-year-old,” Walsh said. “I think he would have been more prominent in the Matt Winn in May if he hadn't been stopped a couple of times.”

Following a June 10 workout at Keeneland which came in preparation for the Blue Grass (G2) Stakes, Maxfield was discovered to have a non-displaced condylar fracture in his right front cannon bone. Following a successful surgery, he resumed serious training in late October, and Walsh thought the Tenacious would be the perfect race to get Maxfield back in the game.

“He was a little fresh tonight, so maybe he was a little more aggressive than normal,” Walsh said. “I don't think he's a deep closer by any means. He's a stronger horse this year and I think we can ride him more prominently.”

When asked about a potential next start for Maxfield, Walsh was non-committal.

“All options are open,” Walsh said. “We will see how he comes out of the race, talk it over with the team at Godolphin and figure out the best plan going forward.”

Maxfield's career bankroll now stands at $489,262.

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Maxfield Returns a Winner at the Fair Grounds

The Tenacious S. at Fair Grounds was the site of the eagerly anticipated return of MAXFIELD (c, 3, Street Sense–Velvety, by Bernardini), whose stop-and-start nature of his career due to injury has done nothing to diminish the excitement surrounding the undefeated colt. Bursting onto the scene in September of 2019 in a one-mile Churchill maiden, he won like a good horse and promptly made the jump to the GI Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, winning by 5 1/2 lengths to be slated as one of the top contenders for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He missed the race due to an ankle injury and surgery to remove a chip. Back in May of this year, he captured the GIII Matt Winn S. with a 95 Beyer in just his third career start and was immediately nabbed as one of the hot prospects for the delayed GI Kentucky Derby, but a condylar fracture kept him in the barn.

Returning to competition again in the Tenacious, Maxfield picked up right where he left off in his return to action, taking his record to a perfect four-for-four. Glued to pacesetting Cool Bobby (Shanghai Bobby)’s outside hip through a :24.63 opening quarter, the 1-2 chalk kept after the leader as the half went in :48.39. The sleek dark bay drew even with Cool Bobby entering the turn and shrugged him off in early stretch, skipping clear for a 2 1/2-length score in 1:43.35.

Out of the winning Bernardini mare Velvety, Maxfield has a yearling half-sister by Medaglia d’Oro. Velvety’s 2020 foal–a full-sibling to Maxfield–died and the mare was bred to Uncle Mo for next term. Velvety is a daughter of the Storm Cat mare Caress, a MGSW who sold for $3.1 million at the 2000 Keeneland November sale. Caress is not only a full-sister to sire Bernstein from the family of champion Outstandingly (Exclusive Native) and a number of other high-class stakes winners, but she is also the dam of two graded winners herself, including GISW and sire Sky Mesa (Pulpit).

TENACIOUS S., $75,000, Fair Grounds, 12-19, 3yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:43.35, ft.
1–MAXFIELD, 115, c, 3, Street Sense–Velvety, by Bernardini.
O/B-Godolphin, LLC (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh; J-Florent
Geroux. $46,500. Lifetime Record: GISW, 4-4-0-0, $489,262.
2–Sonneman, 117, c, 3, Curlin–Zardana (Brz), by Crimson Tide
(Ire). ($375,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-Courtlandt Farms (Donald
& Donna Adam); B-Arnold Zetcher LLC (KY); T-Steven M.
Asmussen. $15,000.
3–Dinar, 118, c, 4, Union Rags–Internal Affair, by Orientate.
($80,000 RNA Ylg ’17 KEESEP; $145,000 RNA 2yo ’18 FTFMAR;
$90,000 2yo ’18 OBSOPN). O-Al Rashid Stables, LLC; B-Royal
Oak Farm (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux. $7,500.
Margins: 2HF, 1 1/4, 4 1/4. Odds: 0.50, 3.60, 19.10.
Also Ran: Cool Bobby, Captivating Moon, Mocito Rojo, Locally Owned.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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‘He’s Matured Beautifully’: Undefeated Maxfield Returns To The Races In Saturday’s Tenacious

A potentially lucrative and prolific 2021 campaign gets underway in the twilight of 2020 when Maxfield makes his long-anticipated return to the races in Saturday's $75,000 Tenacious Stakes at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La. Run as the finale, the 1 1/16-mile Tenacious is the last of six $75,000 stakes run as part of the 13-race Santa Super Saturday card. Clearly, the eyes of the racing world will be focused on Fair Grounds as the undefeated Maxfield makes his first start since May.

Godolphin LLC's homebred Maxfield (post 6 at 8-5 on the morning line with Florent Geroux to ride) has had plenty of heartaches sprinkled in amongst a perfect 3-for-3 lifetime record for trainer Brendan Walsh. He was forced to miss the 2019 Breeders' Cup Juvenile with a minor foot injury and then got derailed off the Kentucky Derby trail soon after his win in Churchill's May 23 Matt Winn (G3). The 3-year-old son of Street Sense came out of a June 10 workout with a condylar fracture of his right front cannon bone, which prompted his connections to scrap any thoughts at a run in the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5.

“We always thought he'd be a nicer 3-year-old, so to come back the way he did, then to lose him for the Derby was terribly disappointing,” Walsh said. “But at least we're getting another go with the horse. It would have been a terrible shame if we didn't get him back and he couldn't show what we think he's capable of.”

Maxfield broke his maiden on debut at Churchill in September 2019 and turned around a month later to win Keeneland's prestigious Breeders' Futurity (G1) by 5 ¼ lengths. He didn't resurface until the 2020 Matt Winn and now reappears in the Tenacious. With just three races in a stop-and-start career, Maxfield has plenty of upside as a lightly raced colt. He's worked eight times since late October, most recently logging 4 furlongs in :48.80 on Nov. 13 at Fair Grounds.

“He came out of his work great and we're looking forward to Saturday,” Walsh said. “We're happy what he's done. It (the Tenacious) was in my mind for a while, with the timing, and I think Fair Grounds will suit the horse, with the long straight and all. We haven't gotten anywhere near the bottom of him yet. He's as good as ever; he's matured beautifully, physically-speaking.”

Maxfield figures odds-on in a Tenacious that drew seven runners, though he spots recency to several, including Courtlandt Farms' Sonneman (post 5 at 3-1 with Ricardo Santana Jr.), who enters off a rousing optional-claiming win Nov. 4 at Churchill Downs. The 3-year-old son of Curlin has run five times for trainer Steve Asmussen after beginning his career with trainer Mark Hennig. He was the runner-up in Churchill's Pat Day Mile (G2) three back in September before running second in a Keeneland optional-claimer in October. Sonneman is 3-for-9 lifetime and has a plenty of early tactical speed that will enable him to get first run on Maxfield.

Lothenbach Stables Inc's Captivating Moon (post 3 at 9-2 with Brian Hernandez Jr.) won the local “off-the-turf” Buddy Diliberto Memorial on the Santa Super Saturday card last year and he is cross-entered in the race again this year. The 5-year-old son of Malibu Moon is winless in seven starts this year for trainer Chris Block but he has faced some tough competition. He was fourth to Silver Dust in the local Mineshaft (G3) in February before running second to By My Standards in the New Orleans Classic (G2) here in March. Captivating Moon is 4-for-26 lifetime and would be a stretch danger should he start.

Completing the Tenacious field from the rail out: Cool Bobby (12-1 with James Graham), a potential pace-setter for trainer Cherie DeVaux; G M B Racing's Locally Owned (post 2 at 5-1 with Miguel Mena), who enters off an optional-claiming win November 11 for trainer Al Stall Jr.; Wayne T Davis' Mocito Rojo (post 4 at 8-1 with Jack Gilligan), who won the Lukas Classic (G3) at Churchill in 2019 for trainer Shane Wilson but is just 1-for-8 since; and Al Rashid Stables LLC's Dinar (post seven at 12-1 with Shaun Bridgmohan), a close fourth two-back in Churchill's Ack Ack (G3) for DeVaux.

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Who’s Your Pick? Andrew Cary

As we approach the end of the calendar, we turn our attention to the incoming sire class of 2021. We asked several judges who their favorite incoming sire is for next year and if there are any other stallions, new or otherwise, that have caught their eye as under-the-radar picks.

ANDREW CARY, Cary Bloodstock

McKinzie (Street Sense), $30,000, Gainesway

This is a very strong group of incoming freshman sires and it’s very hard to just pick one, but I am a huge fan of McKinzie. I think had he retired in a “normal” year, he would have stood for more.

When he was at the top of his game in the summer of 2019, he was the best horse in the country. He was incredibly unlucky not to win the GI Met Mile (where he only got to run for about a sixteenth of a mile) and he galloped to a very easy win in the GI Whitney S. against a strong field and in fast time.

Any horse who can compete at the highest level from ages two through five and run first or second in 14 graded stakes has to be immensely respected.

In addition, he’s got the strong physical and pedigree that the market requires. Street Sense is a tremendous sire who still has plenty of years of production left, and his dam Runway Model (Petionville) was an elite runner herself. Bob Baffert was always very high on this horse from the moment he entered his shedrow. I think Gainesway did a great job pricing him where they did and my clients are breeding five mares to him.

Instagrand (Into Mischief), $7,500, Taylor Made

I think Instagrand is the potential home run horse of this whole crop, especially at his stud fee. He is a tremendous physical by the hottest sire on the planet, was a $1.2 million 2-year-old and flashed top level ability from the get go. He did train on as a 3-year-old to place in the GI Santa Anita Derby against the previous year’s champion 2-year-old Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) and Roadster (Quality Road).

Unfortunately he never got to truly fulfill all of his potential on the racetrack, but his profile matches up with many top stallions who began their careers standing for under $15,000 (including his own sire Into Mischief, as well as Distorted Humor, Mr. Prospector, Danzig, War Front, etc).

I encourage people to go back and watch Instagrand’s first two races–his maiden win and the GII Best Pal S., both of which he won by over 10 lengths. They are jaw-dropping. Mr. Larry Best (leading buyer at Keeneland November Sale) has made a huge commitment to the horse and my clients will be supporting him strongly as well.

Thank you to the breeders and agents who have participated in our ongoing ‘Who’s Your Pick’ series this week. Did you miss a few responses? You can catch up on the entire series here.

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