Maxfield Fires Bullet, 'Starting to Step Up'

Godolphin's homebred Maxfield, who is unraced since taking the Oct. 5 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) in his second career start, turned in a sharp half-mile breeze March 1 as he continues to work toward his 3-year-old debut.

It was the third work since mid-February for Maxfield, all over the main track at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream Park's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, where he completed four furlongs in :48.45 to be the fastest of 41 to timed at the distance Sunday.

"He worked really well," trainer Brendan Walsh said. "He worked a half in :49 and went out five-eighths and three-quarters and went out good, so he's starting to step up a little bit now. The next work or two we'll have a good idea of where we're going to go with him, but he's doing good."

Maxfield was scratched from a planned start in the Nov. 1  TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) with a minor foot bruise discovered after training three days before the race. He returned to the work tab Feb. 17, getting three furlongs in :38 1/5, then went a half-mile in :51 1/5 Feb. 24.

"We have to see with him, because it'll be a question of, do we take a shot at one of the Derby trials if he's doing real good or just try to find something a little softer for him off the layoff?" Walsh said. "That's just the way it is. We're still not quite decided on it and it's going to be him that makes the decision for us, really. But, I wouldn't rule anything in or out."

Walsh doubted there would be time to make the March 28 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream, contested at 1 1/8 miles, and said skipping the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) in favor of the May 16 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course is also on the table.

"I don't know if we'd throw him to the wolves off the layoff in something like the Florida Derby. That's probably unlikely, but I'm saying that like there's any really softer spots. When you get that close to the Derby, everybody's trying to go at it so no matter where you go you're going to come up against some good ones," Walsh said. "We're kind of watching what's going on with everybody else, too.

"The other thing would be to come back maybe somewhere around Keeneland and run him in the Preakness. That might be the other option," he added. "It doesn't matter where he comes back, he's going to be a good horse this year. It's just a question about what the timing allows us to do. We'd all love to win the Derby, but on the same point I'm not going to sacrifice a horse like him just for it."

Walsh said Vitalogy, scratched by veterinarians from a scheduled run in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America (G1T), exited his comeback victory in Saturday's Palm Beach (G3) in good order.

"Everything's good with him this morning. We're happy with him," Walsh said. "It was a good spot for him to come back in. He ran a hell of a race and I think he'll improve a lot for it, too, because we had just enough work in him."

Gunnevera Back With Sano 

Multiple graded-stakes winner Gunnevera, unraced since finishing third in the 2019 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1), is back in South Florida with trainer Antonio Sano.

A winner of more than $5.5 million and runner up in the 2018 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), Gunnevera has worked twice for Sano at Gulfstream Park West. The 6-year-old son of Dialed In  worked four furlongs Saturday in :49 1/5. Gunnevera was sidelined with a fracture in his left hind leg last summer.

"He's worked very good...very, very good," said Sano, who saddled Gunnevera to victory in the 2017 Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2). "He's worked the last two weeks. Everything has gone well. Saturday we will breeze him five furlongs. We will get him ready, run maybe April here, and then maybe go to Saratoga."