Maida takes Endine Stakes; Quint's Brew prevails in Wilmington
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The graded stakes winner Maida bounced back in a big way in the $200,000 Endine Stakes on Saturday at Delaware Park, putting away Mystic Lake to win by two lengths.
After winning back-to-back stakes in the $125,000 Alma North at Laurel Park and Grade 2 Honorable Miss at Saratoga, the Brittany Russell-trained filly failed to contend in the Grade 1 Ballerina last month. Back in the Mid-Atlantic, she proved overwhelming again in her third stakes victory in her 4-year-old campaign.
Jockey Sheldon Russell rode the winner like a heavy favorite from the start, settling into fourth while the outside contenders Cash Call and Mystic Lake dueled through an opening quarter-mile in 22.64 seconds and half-mile in 46.23.
Cash Call struggled to contend late and faded in the stretch, but the Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained mare Mystic Lake dug in to make a race of it. Maida ($3.80) advanced at full force around the far turn, but she still had work to do in the stretch.
Mystic Lake, a stakes winner at Delaware last year, carried her short advantage for as long as she could under Paco Lopez, but she couldn’t hold out in midstretch. Maida easily pulled clear at the end, completing the six-furlong sprint on a sloppy track in 1:11.76.
Icona Mama, a last-out stakes winner trained by Flint Stites, came flying late from 10th to finish third, a length behind Mystic Lake.
Maida’s only previous start on a wet surface came in her debut at Pimlico in May 2025, when she finished fourth. She showed far more on the off surface against a superior group on Saturday.
Wilmington Stakes
Quint’s Brew, the even-money favorite going for his second victory on his home track, had to work hard in the $100,000 Wilmington Stakes on Saturday at Delaware Park. But with a massive closing effort under Forest Boyce, the Maryland-bred got up to win by a neck in a five-horse blanket finish.
Typically a front-runner, Quint's Brew first showed a new dimension in the $100,000 Alapocas Run, when he closed from sixth to win in a typically game effort. He drew the rail again on Saturday, and jockey Forest Boyce did not hesitate to utilize the same style.
Unhurried in the early going, Quint’s Brew fell back to seventh at the start, content to let rivals pass on his outside in preparation for a late bid. Chipotle and Scorching dueled early in the six-furlong sprint, completing the opening quarter-mile in 22.40 seconds and half-mile in 46.15, but neither factored in the result.
Instead, the race was decided by Quint’s Brew, Boardwalk Jack, and Fire Pit, all of whom started near the back of the field. Fire Pit and Boardwalk Jack both made early moves on the backstretch to enter contention, leaving Quint’s Brew with more work to do from slightly farther back.
Without many options, Boyce got bold on a sloppy track, something trainer Ned Allard anticipated and didn’t mind earlier this week. In her sixth start aboard the gelding, she angled nine wide at the top of the stretch, making the widest move and charging down the center toward the leaders.
While Fire Pit and Boardwalk Jack scrapped for command in midstretch, with J J Zo Zo and Scorching battling just behind, Quint’s Brew continued charging forward with undeniable determination. He blew past all four vying rivals to win the photo late, completing the six-furlong distance in 1:11.82 and paying $4.20 to win.
Boardwalk Jack, a New Jersey-bred trained by Eddie Owens Jr., prevailed by a neck over Fire Pit, who lost nothing in defeat for Guadalupe Preciado. The top five finishers were separated by less than two lengths at the end, with J J Zo Zo clearing Scorching by a head.
In 16 career starts, Quint’s Brew has earned seven stakes victories, cementing himself as one of the foremost runners in the Mid-Atlantic. He has now overcome the rail draw twice to remain unbeaten on his home track.
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