Maxfield Makes it Count in Breeders' Futurity
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Photo: Mark Mahan
Maxfield wins the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland
It took Godolphin homebred Maxfield only 21 days to do what many Thoroughbreds spend their entire careers trying to achieve.
After overcoming a troubled Sept. 14 trip that sent him from last to first in his debut at Churchill Downs, the 2-year-old son of Street Sense took much the same route to grade 1 glory. Breaking slowly from the gate and racing in the back of the pack for much of the $500,000 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1), the colt sailed clear down the center of the stretch to win the Oct. 5 test by 5 1/2 lengths at Keeneland.
"Speechless," Godolphin president Jimmy Bell said of the win. "But thinking back on it, when you break your maiden first time out the way he did it—walking out of the gate, circling the field, taking all the dirt—he obviously got a lot of experience in that first race.
"I think he ran the same race again today. We thought, 'Don't worry, he'll break a lot sharper today.' But he didn't get away all that well. I give a lot of credit to Jose (Ortiz). he was very professional, very chilly, very patient, and when you're on a good horse, it's best to let him get in that rhythm and make sure you don't get stopped turning for home."
Trained by Brendan Walsh, Maxfield settled in back early as American Butterfly and Miguel Mena shot to the lead on the rail, setting fractions of :24.01, :47.78, and 1:12.46 through six furlongs. American Butterfly angled off the rail at the top of the lane and began to give way. Tap It to Win, who was bumped at the start but tracked the pace in second for the first half-mile, drifted back, allowing Gouverneur Morris and jockey Javier Castellano to take control off the far turn as Maxfield began to move within striking distance on the outside.
Entering the lane, Maxfield moved out to the four path and ran down a hard-charging Gouverneur Morris before drawing off to win by daylight. The final time for the 1 1/16-mile dirt test was 1:44.21.
"He's a very nice horse, and he's very smart," Ortiz said. "He broke slow first time, took dirt, and came running at Churchill. Today, he did the same thing. Broke a bit slow, relaxed, and when I asked him to go, he was there for me the whole time."
Gouverneur Morris finished second, followed by Enforceable in third.
“It was a good trip," said Castellano of favored Gouverneur Morris. "Unfortunately, we were kind of wide in the first turn, but that’s hard to deal with breaking from the outside post. He broke well enough to get into a good spot. We were just second-best today. He earned it and fought for second place, but the winner was the best horse in the race.”
It was another five lengths to Ajaaweed in fourth, followed by By Your Side, American Butterfly, January Won, King Theo, Life On the Road, and Tap It to Win.
"When he started rolling, I was looking to see if he was going to get through—is there anything going to stop us?—because I knew he was going to run right to the wire," Walsh said. "He's a very special horse. I've been around a lot of good horses, and good horses breathe different air. I think this horse is right there. I thought he might take a run or two to break his maiden, but we knew he was a super-talented horse. He overcame a lot the first day we ran him, and he came out of that race doing so good. To come back in three weeks for a horse that's only run once is a big ask, but he answers every question."
With the victory in the "Win and You're In" Challenge Series race, Maxfield earned an automatic berth in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 1 at Santa Anita Park.
"Obviously, we'll see how he comes out of this, but if you don't bring him, who do you bring?" Walsh said. "We were looking at the horses coming up here earlier. It was a very nice-looking bunch of horses. For him to do this in his second start, I'm normally pretty conservative with them, and if it was going take him a couple of runs to break his maiden or even three runs, that was going to be fine with me. We haven't really turned the screws with this horse at all. He naturally does it. Good horses do that."
"He was much the best today," Bell said. "I give a lot of credit to Brendan. He brought him along here. We were watching him breeze quite a bit this spring when he brought him to Keeneland, and he said, 'Boy, he's doing this too easy. Let's slow this down a little bit.' We bought a little time and made the first start just recently up at Churchill. He's just as you see—a big, imposing, powerful individual but still a gawky little 2-year-old. (He's got) a lot of filling out to do, but you can't substitute that talent and his demeanor. He's got a phenomenal mind on him."
Maxfield is the second foal out of the Bernardini mare Velvety, who has a yearling Medaglia d'Oro colt and foaled a filly by the Darley sire April 17. He has banked earnings of $354,412 for his two wins.
The Breeders' Futurity marked the first grade 1 win not only for Maxfield, but for Walsh. It was especially poignant for the trainer, who kick-started his career as a rider for Godolphin at Kildangan Stud, the racing outfit's base in Ireland.
"I always knew (winning my first grade 1 race) would be special, but to win it here for (Godolphin), it's extra special," Walsh said. "Fantastic. Indescribable. These people, I've worked on and off for them since I was a kid. To go back to Dubai and win the UAE Derby (Sponsored by Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group, G2) was very special, and you know then they were kind enough to send me some horses this year, and I just got blessed that we got sent a horse with as much talent as Maxfield. They've been a huge influence on my career, so it's extra special to win it for them."