Loved starts living up to pedigree in maiden romp

LEXINGTON, Ky. – One of the more impressive maiden victories of the Keeneland meet was posted last Friday by a 4-year-old filly named Loved, who toyed with the opposition when earning an 86 Beyer Speed Figure in an 11 1/2-length romp going 1 1/16 miles.

Brendan Walsh trains Loved, a Godolphin homebred daughter of Medaglia d’Oro out of Velvety, a pedigree that makes her a half-sister to Maxfield, the most accomplished horse Walsh has trained and another Godolphin homebred.

Loved was making just her second start, and her first since debuting in March 2022 at Gulfstream. Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, she paid $3.18 after winning in hand.

“She and Maxfield are both good-looking horses,” Walsh said. “She had to make us wait, and hopefully it will work out well.”

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Maxfield, by Street Sense, won 8 of 11 starts and more than $2 million. He was retired to stud after winning the Grade 1 Clark in November 2021 at Churchill and his first foals are just now hitting the ground.

◗ Wesley Ward took a 10-9 edge over Brad Cox in the trainer standings into the final three-day stretch of the spring meet, with Walsh next with seven wins. Ward has the most entries (16) among them for those final three cards, while Cox has just four and Walsh has 13.

If Ward were to hold on to win the title, it would be the seventh time he has won or shared a spring-meet crown at Keeneland, all since 2012. He also was the leading trainer in the fall of 2012 for his only fall title here.

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