Max Player surges past Shotski to win Withers Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It was mentioned to Linda Rice on Saturday morning that her 3-year-old Max Player was a bit of a buzz horse entering that afternoon’s Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct.

Rice seemed a bit surprised at the notion and responded “Did anybody see his first two races?”

In his first two races – a second-place finish and then a win both going a mile at Parx Racing – Max Player had shown a tendency to climb and shy away from kickback. But when he put his mind on running, Max Player demonstrated a long stride and seemingly a desire to go a distance of ground.

Max Player displayed all those tendencies again in the Withers, shying from the kickback early, but then unleashing a prolonged rally under Dylan Davis that carried him to a 3 1/4-length victory over Shotski, the 9-5 favorite. It was a half-length back to Portos, who was a half-length in front of Monday Morning Qb. New Commission finished fifth, followed by Prince of Pharoahs. Mr. Shortandsimple and Vanzzy were eased.

Max Player was given an 86 Beyer Speed Figure for the victory.

The win earned Max Player 10 qualifying points to the May 2 Kentucky Derby. George Hall, owner of Max Player, confirmed that Max Player was nominated to the Triple Crown series.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to do that a few times in the past; nothing would please me to get back down to Churchill,” said Hall, who has run three horses in the Derby, most recently Pants On Fire, who finished ninth in 2011.

Max Player will have to continue improve to become a serious Derby contender, but there is still time.

“He’s becoming more professional all the time in his morning workouts, but anyone who watched his two races at Parx can see that he’s pretty green and ran very green into the dirt,” Rice said.

Davis noticed that when he watched replays of Max Player’s first two starts. He was prepared when Max Player, who broke from post 3, started reacting to the kickback entering the first turn. Davis got Max Player to the outside around the first turn. Though Davis was conceding ground while wide, he said his horse was at least comfortable.

Max Player was within three or four lengths of the pace down the backside. The pace was set by Shotski, the Remsen winner, who ran a half-mile in 49.16 seconds and six furlongs in 1:13.99 while being hounded by Vanzzy.

Davis kept Max Player wide and in the clear and while Shotski put away Vanzzy, he was confronted by Monday Morning Qb at the eighth pole. Shotski turned him aside, but Max Player was lengthening stride, and with Davis keeping him to task, Max Player went past Shotski inside the eighth pole en route to the victory.

Max Player, a son of Honor Code bred by George and Katherine Hall – George Hall’s children – covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:53.87. He returned $12.80 as the fourth choice.

“I had to get into him at the half-mile pole pretty good. He’s probably still learning, but he handled the mile and an eighth pretty well,” Davis said. “I think he wants to go farther.”

Max Player ran with the remnants of a cut on the back of his left hind leg. Rice said that occurred when Max Player won his maiden in the mud at Parx on Dec. 12. She said she didn’t run him in bandages because “I just think it might change his action.”

Rice said she wouldn’t turn Max Player back to a one-turn mile in the Grade 3 Gotham here on March 7 and instead would look to the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial on April 4, unless Hall and her come up with a different plan.

Though Shotski had won the Remsen on Dec. 7 on the lead, his trainer, Jeremiah O’Dwyer, was hoping his horse could follow a horse on Saturday. Jockey Luis Saez said nobody wanted the lead, and he didn’t want to get into a fight with Shotski around the turn. Both O’Dwyer and Saez praised the colt for fighting everybody off but the winner.

“He had to take a step forward, and I think he did,” O’Dwyer said. “I was very proud of his effort today. He’s just a fighter. After looking at him today, I think he’d be better off if he could sit third or fourth and have something to aim at.”

O’Dwyer said a return trip for the Wood is possible for Shotski.