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Monday, November 30, 2009

Maximus Effort

Tremendous juvenile racing this long holiday weekend at Aqueduct, Churchill and Hollywood—although I’m not sure we saw the second-coming of Rachel Alexandra. Still, good stuff! Dana over at Green but Game has a great recap of some promising potential stars, but I wanted to give a proper post to one of my favorite efforts, an allowance win by Maximus Ruler in race 8 at Churchill on Saturday.

On November 14, this son of Roman Ruler, out of a Lost Code mare named Lost Love (whose dam Flirting just happens to be by Foolish Pleasure, out of the Advocator mare Horsing Around—not a bloodline you hear much these days) made his debut in race 10 at Churchill Downs (MSW, 7f dirt), set off at odds of just over 52-1, and, as you can see via the race replay below, he was tremendously-impressive closing late to finish third by less than a head (he’s also a BIG boy):



Nominated for the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club, his connections opted for an 8f allowance race for non-winners of two, of which he was the sole maiden. Watch the replay—jockey Francisco Torres makes a sweet move to bring him mid-pack in the backstretch and then he bursts through to take the lead, never really threatened:



Final time for the mile: 1:35.94. The second-place finisher, Guys Reward (by Grand Reward out of a Mr. Greeley mare Beach View) is another to watch as he (surprisingly) looks to want a bit of distance—well, maybe not so surprisingly, as through his dam he is related to Giant’s Causeway.

Freshman sire Roman Ruler has impressed me thus far with his first crop, among the best being G1 Champagne victor Homeboykris (who was crushed by potential superstar Buddy’s Saint in the G2 Remsen on Saturday), and the ill-named filly Connie and Michael who finished third in the G3 Miesque over the Hollywood turf on Sunday. He also has a G1 winner in Mexico, called Zacatlan, so much like their daddy, I suppose Roman Ruler's progeny are precocious.

10 comments:

dana said...

I missed those, great stuff! Both Maximus Ruler and Guy's Reward are going on my list.

Anonymous said...

Well done Valerie. That was fun to watch and informative. Interesting he went off at just over 3/1.
You are right about Roman Ruler, he is certainly a stallion to watch. Thanks, were it not for your blog I would have missed this since we poor Mid-Atlantic OTB patrons were shut out from the entire Churchill Fall meet, and are currently being shut out of the Fair Grounds as well.......So I appreciate your efforts.

dana said...

Anon - you should check out Churchill's YouTube account:

http://www.youtube.com/user/cdi

They put all of their races from all CDI tracks up there. Even if you can't watch them live you can check out results and go watch the races that look potentially interesting!

Funny (or not) aside, "nesocked" is word verification word.

Valerie Grash said...

Maximus Ruler earned a 93 Beyer for his last race, same as the winner of the G2 KY Jockey Club. Sweet!

Sorry, anon, to hear about being shut out of Churchill Downs (and now Fair Grounds). Honestly, why do the powers that be in horse racing do everything they can to kill interest in the sport? Who does it possibly benefit to shut out those willing to bet their dollars? Crazy! Hope it clears up for you soon.

UpInClass Horse Racing Forum said...

Excellent work Foolish Pleasure...
discovered you while searching Max!
Sign me on as a Fan. :)

Sincerely,
Dell Yount

UpInClass Horse Racing Forum said...

Saturday's LeComte Stakes
is the race that stamps
MAXIMUS RULER
a major player
on the road to the roses!

Valerie Grash said...

Thanks, Dell, for commenting again! Sorry I missed responding to you the first time, as things have just been crazy at work.

I hope (fingers crossed) we are right about Maximus Ruler. There's just something about his presence that really attracts my attention, and love the name! :) Of course, maybe if would be better if he flew under the radar longer so we could get a good price come Derby day :)

arazi said...

Valerie -

Great stuff! Maximus Ruler is the real deal and I think he wins by daylight in the Lecompte! He's my Derby pick as well and has a big, big future ahead of him.

Interesting that you noted in November that Maximus earned a 93 Beyer for his effort. Now, before the Lecompte he has an 85 for that race. It's not unusual for the Beyer boys to adjust things a bit here and there, but I think the fact that he originally got a 93 (their first instinct) is nothing but positive

UpInClass Horse Racing Forum said...

Look who's back working...

Maximus Ruler

Workout
07-05-2010
Track: Churchill Downs
Surface: Dirt
Distance: 4 Furlongs
Workout type: Breezing
Workout time: 0:48.40
Track condition: Fast

Valerie Grash said...

Fantastic news, isn't it, Dell? Have you heard anything about short- or long-term goals for him?