A little extra time might benefit Maxfield as he chases Kentucky Derby spot

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Brendan Walsh wishes trouble for no one. He’s not that kind of guy.

Still, Walsh couldn’t help but crack a smile when talking about how the chances of Maxfield making the Kentucky Derby field would be helped greatly by what appears to be an imminent postponement of the race.

“Absolutely, I’ve thought about that,” Walsh said. “I think about nothing else.”

:: KENTUCKY DERBY 2020: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more

Maxfield, a Godolphin homebred by Street Sense, has not raced since early October, when he won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland in an effort to suggest major Derby potential. He underwent minor ankle surgery shortly after being scratched from the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and after rehabilitation at Bridlewood Farm in central Florida, the colt returned Jan. 20 to Walsh’s care at the Palm Meadows training center.

Maxfield has made steady progress in the two months that have passed, but Walsh remains skeptical he will have enough time for full preparedness if in fact the Derby is run May 2 at Churchill Downs as originally scheduled.

But with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention having recommended Sunday that gatherings of 50 or more not be held for the next eight weeks, a rescheduling of the Derby until later in the year was widely expected to be announced sometime this week. Clearly there would be a massive number of wide-ranging ramifications in such an announcement, including how the Derby qualifying-points system might have to be altered.

:: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Maxfield breezed Saturday at Palm Meadows for the fifth time since his return, going five furlongs in 1:01.80, and will work again this coming weekend. Walsh said he expects Maxfield could be ready to run in early to mid-April if the colt continues to flourish in his training.

“He went very good, with a good, strong gallop-out,” Walsh said Sunday at Gulfstream Park before sending out Freudian Finish to an allowance victory. “We’ll decide what race we’ll be pointing for after his next work, I would say.”

Meanwhile, Independence Hall was another among a handful of Derby hopefuls out for serious work over the weekend in South Florida, going five furlongs in 1:00 at Tampa Bay Downs on Sunday in his fourth breeze since finishing second in the Feb. 8 Sam F. Davis Stakes. The Constitution colt is scheduled to ship over to Gulfstream for a breeze ahead of his next start in the March 28 Florida Derby at Gulfstream, a $1 million race expected to get Tiz the Law, one of the Kentucky Derby favorites.

Tiz the Law, trained by Barclay Tagg, remained on target for the Florida Derby when going six furlongs Sunday in 1:13.80 at Palm Meadows. It was his fourth work since he won the Feb. 1 Holy Bull.