Maxfield Must Catch Midnight Bourbon in Clark Swan Song

Before joining the stallion roster at Darley at Jonabell Farm in 2022, Godolphin's Maxfield   has one final assignment: the $750,000 Clark Stakes Presented by Norton Healthcare (G1) at Churchill Downs Nov. 26.

Win, and he'll surpass $2 million in earnings. But to emerge as the victor, he will again need one of his best performances. Dr Post , Happy Saver , and Midnight Bourbon  lead a group of seven rivals in the 1 1/8-mile dirt test—the latter with an apparent tactical pace advantage.

Maxfield, a 4-year-old son of Street Sense  , seeks his first grade 1 win since his 2-year-old season in 2019 when he took the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland. But Churchill Downs seems the place to attempt for an elusive second upper-tier score. He is perfect in four starts beneath the Twin Spires, winning his debut in a maiden race at the Louisville oval at 2, the Matt Winn Stakes (G3) at 3, and the Alysheba Stakes Presented by Sentient Jet (G2) and Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) this year at 4.

But he missed the one race at Churchill Downs that everyone dreams of making, the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), having been sidelined last summer by injury. An earlier physical setback in his initial season was similarly disappointing for his connections when the colt missed the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita Park.

"He's never let us down on the racetrack," said trainer Brendan Walsh. "We were very lucky to have him. He is an absolute pleasure to have and obviously is a super talented horse.

"So hopefully he'll go on to have a good stud career. We'll look forward to training some of his babies in the years to come. I think he'll make a very, very good stallion."

This year Maxfield is 3-2-1 in six starts, with his only losses coming when third behind Idol  and Express Train  in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1), second to Knicks Go   in the Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, and second in the Woodward Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park, this time behind Art Collector .

Both Knicks Go and Art Collector raced in the Nov. 6 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), finishing first and sixth, respectively.

No horse, particularly of the class of likely Horse of the Year Knicks Go, is in the Clark, though Dr Post, Happy Saver, and Midnight Bourbon have earned black type in grade 1s. Happy Saver won the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) last year over Mystic Guide , while Dr Post and Midnight Bourbon have hit the board in upper-tier company.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon is one of just two 3-year-olds entered, the other being Fern Circle Stables and Three Chimneys Farm's King Fury . Both carry 118 pounds, compared to weight assignments of between 121-123 pounds for the older horses in the Clark, depending on their recent accomplishments. Maxfield carries 123.

Midnight Bourbon and Maxfield bookend the eight-horse field. Midnight Bourbon starts from the rail beneath Joel Rosario, Maxfield from the far outside under Jose Ortiz.

Benefiting Midnight Bourbon is the make-up of the field. The Clark drew little pace, seemingly leaving him as the race's controlling speed.

As a result, Maxfield may lay closer than usual, by default more so than tactics.

"I don't think we'll do anything to suit the race; just let him do his thing," said Walsh. "He's drawn outside. Let him get into that nice rhythm he gets into and take it from there."

Midnight Bourbon hasn't won since the Lecomte Stakes (G3) in January but comes off consecutive runner-up finishes in the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) and Pennsylvania Derby (G1).

Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, North America's winningest trainer, conditions Midnight Bourbon. Asmussen previously won the Clark in 2016 with Gun Runner   for Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm. Gun Runner won the Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar the following year and was crowned Horse of the Year.

St. Elias Stable's Dr Post and Wertheimer and Frere's Happy Saver are the lone out-of-state shippers to the Clark. Both head south from the New York base of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, a two-time Clark winner.

Both colts are in good form, with the former running third last out in the Woodward, a length behind Maxfield, and the latter running second to Max Player  in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga. Max Player subsequently ran eighth in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Dr Post while Tyler Gaffalione rides Happy Saver.

"It's a tough spot. It's deep. It's a very good race," Walsh said of the competition for Maxfield in the Clark. "So he's going to have to run right up to his form to win it."

Entries: Clark S. presented by Norton Healthcare (G1)

Churchill Downs, Friday, November 26, 2021, Race 11

• Grade I
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $750,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:56 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Midnight Bourbon (KY)	Joel Rosario	118	Steven M. Asmussen	8/5
2	2Night Ops (KY)	Florent Geroux	121	Brad H. Cox	15/1
3	3Dr Post (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	121	Todd A. Pletcher	5/1
4	4Happy Saver (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	121	Todd A. Pletcher	8/1
5	5King Fury (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	118	Kenneth G. McPeek	12/1
6	6Chess Chief (VA)	Joseph Talamo	123	Dallas Stewart	30/1
7	7Militarist (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	121	Carlo Vaccarezza	50/1
8	8Maxfield (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	123	Brendan P. Walsh	6/5