A freshened Irish Maxima tries to regain old form
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – There is no stakes race Saturday at Aqueduct but Grade 3 stakes winner Irish Maxima will look to jumpstart her career in a conditioned allowance race for female sprinters that serves as the feature on the nine-race card.
From August 2024 to April 2025, Irish Maxima won six of seven starts, capped by a 1 1/2-length victory in the Grade 3 Distaff at Aqueduct. It went sideways for Irish Maxima thereafter as she was soundly beaten by Ways and Means in the Grade 2 Bed o’ Roses at Saratoga.
After a respectable fourth, beaten 1 1/2 lengths in the Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf Sprint – her first start on grass – Irish Maxima was eased while finishing 11th of 12 in the $2 million Ladies’ Turf Sprint on Aug. 30.
“She didn’t like that course at all,” trainer John Servis said. “That’s one of those courses you either like it or you don’t. We decided that was the end of the year anyway, we were going to stop on her.”
Irish Maxima was given time off, but since she’s returned, she appears to be training with a purpose. Irish Maxima shows six works at Parx leading to her return, including a half-mile move in 46.20 seconds, the fastest of 106 works at the distance that morning at Parx.
“She’s pretty sharp,” Servis said.
Servis believes Irish Maxima can return to the form she showed on the dirt earlier in her career.
“I hope so,” Servis said. “From my experience, the horses that last this long, this is their best year, their 5-year-old year.”
Frankie Pennington rides from post 3.
The New York-bred Sweet Brown Sugar returns from a 10-month layoff in this six-furlong race. She had a run of winning six races from eight starts from March 2024 through February 2025. That included victories in the East View Stakes for New York-breds and an open third-level allowance. Following runner-up finishes in the Broadway last Feb. 23 and the Biogio’s Rose in April, Sweet Brown Sugar was given a break.
“She had a hard winter campaign, there were no real races for her so we gave her a short break,” trainer Paul Barrow said. “Then she had a minor bump in the road coming back this summer. She’s rounded into shape very well, I’m very happy with how she’s training. You never know coming off a layoff if you have them fit enough, but I think I do.”
Jose Lezcano rides Sweet Brown Sugar, who gets Lasix for the first time, from post 5.
Leading trainer Linda Rice sends out the pair of Always Angels and Atarah. Always Angels, claimed by Rice last Nov. 22 at Churchill Downs for $40,000, won a $50,000 claimer by 8 1/2 lengths on Jan. 9. Atarah, claimed for $50,000 out of a winning effort last Sept. 13 at Churchill, has won both of her starts at Aqueduct, though in races run at one mile and seven furlongs.
Sahin Civaci rides Always Angels from the rail while Flavien Prat is aboard Atarah from post 2.
Lucille Ball eyes Correction
Lucille Ball, who finished last as the 1-9 favorite in the four-horse Interborough Stakes on Feb. 6, will seek a form correction in the $135,000 Correction Stakes on March 1.
Lucille Ball, a daughter of Lord Nelson, came off a 14-month layoff to win a first-level allowance race by 10 1/4 lengths on Jan. 2, earning a 103 Beyer Speed Figure. She didn’t get away great in the Interborough and found herself wide and off the pace on an inside speed-favoring track.
“We’re tossing that last one out,” part-owner Adam Wachtel said. “She got wiped out at the start. We figured we’d be on the lead, not that she has to be a wire-to-wire horse. I don’t recall ever having a horse 1-9 in a stakes race. If she ran 90 percent what she had, she probably would have won that race.
“Nothing went right for her, she seems to be training well and doing well so we hope to see something like we saw previously.”
Lucille Ball, trained by Chris Englehart, was scheduled to have a workout Saturday morning at Belmont Park.
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