Maxfield begins another comeback in Tenacious Stakes

Maxfield missed the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 2019, missed the Triple Crown in 2020, but is back from his second injury layoff Saturday at Fair Grounds ready to hit the ground running in the $75,000 Tenacious Stakes.

The 3-year-old Godolphin homebred showed elite ability debuting in autumn 2019 at Churchill Downs, and after starts in that maiden race, the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity, and the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes this past May, Maxfield hasn’t truly been tested. After an ankle injury cost him his BC Juvenile chance and a fractured cannon bone took him out of action over the summer, Maxfield is ready again.

“He’s been working good and we’re all set,” trainer Brendan Walsh said.

Maxfield is one of seven in the 1 1/16-mile Tenacious, a first local step toward the March 20 New Orleans Classic. The Tenacious caps a strong 13-race program that includes five other stakes and has an early first post of noon Central. The local forecast as of Thursday called for a slight chance of scattered showers Saturday afternoon. The temporary turf rail is down for grass racing; when that was the case on multi-stakes cards this past January, February, and March, the course developed a clear inside-speed bias.

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Maxfield was working toward the July 11 Blue Grass Stakes when he hurt himself during a breeze, a bitter pill for connections that already had lost a live chance days before the 2019 BC Juvenile. In his lone start at 3, Maxfield won the Matt Winn by a distinctly measured length, urged with the crop in upper stretch by jockey Jose Ortiz but hand-ridden the final furlong after inhaling Ny Traffic and Pneumatic. Ny Traffic returned to miss by a nose to likely 3-year-old champion Authentic in the Grade 1 Haskell, while Pneumatic later scored a sharp win in the Pegasus Stakes over capable Jesus’ Team.

Maxfield, a huge, gorgeous dark bay colt by Street Sense, returned to the work tab in October at Keeneland, moved to Churchill and worked four times there, finishing his breeze pattern with three at Fair Grounds. On Dec. 6, Walsh gave Maxfield a half-mile gate work, accomplished in a quick 47.20 seconds, and for his final Tenacious drill Maxfield worked an easy half-mile behind two stablemates.

“He’s very relaxed, an absolute gentleman of a horse,” Walsh said. “He does plenty in the morning; he’s very generous. Like any horse, he’s going to improve from having a run, but he did win first time out and won off a layoff in May. We’ve enough work in him that he’s ready to run.”

Under the race’s allowance conditions, Maxfield, to be ridden for the first time by Florent Geroux, carries 115 pounds, low weight in the field. On sheer accomplishment, Mocito Rojo, who has earned more than $850,000, and Captivating Moon, whose bankroll has surpassed $500,000, would pose the main competition, but Mocito Rojo has been dull lately. Sonneman, a Curlin 3-year-old trained by Steve Asmussen, improved through the fall and exits a nice age-restricted Churchill allowance win, but his 3-1 morning-line odds suggest he’ll be an underlay.

Joy’s Rocket vulnerable

Seguro and Double Whopper don’t look good enough to win the $75,000 Letellier Stakes for 2-year-old fillies over six furlongs on dirt but look quick enough to hound likely favorite Joy’s Rocket on the lead.

Joy’s Rocket, 6-5 on the track’s morning line, exits a three-length win in the $125,000 Songbird Stakes last month at Keeneland. She’s drawn inside, has done all her best work on the engine, and comes off a career-best performance, making her a favorite worth opposing.

The clear alternatives are Charlie’s Penny, who rallied sharply between horses to win a Churchill allowance race last out, and Mariah’s Princess, who was more visually impressive than Charlie’s Penny when winning a Fair Grounds maiden sprint Nov. 28.