Maxfield goes out on a high note with gutsy win in Clark

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Maxfield went out in a blaze of glory Friday, outdueling a pair of determined rivals in winning the Grade 1, $750,000 Clark, the annual fall centerpiece at Churchill Downs.

First it was Midnight Bourbon that Maxfield had to wear down, and then it was Happy Saver he had to hold off. Under an all-out drive from jockey Jose Ortiz, Maxfield emerged the victor in his swan song en route to an impending stud career.

“We’re very happy that he goes out this way,” said Ortiz, who rode Maxfield in eight of the colt’s 11 career starts.

Maxfield returned $4.40 as second choice in a field of eight after finishing 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.06 over a fast track. Happy Saver was second by a half-length, with Midnight Bourbon, who led most of the way as the 6-5 favorite, fading to finish another three lengths back in third. Maxfield earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure for his final start.

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The results of the 147th Clark made for quite a happy ending to the Maxfield saga, as evidenced by the tears of joy flowing amid a crowded Churchill winner’s circle. Bred and owned by the Godolphin powerhouse of Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum, the colt went 5 for 5 at Churchill, all with Ortiz up, while also winning three other stakes, including the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland in just his second start.

But a minor injury precluded Maxfield from running in the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and a leg fracture suffered in a June 2020 workout at Keeneland kept him out of the postponed Kentucky Derby that September. After those setbacks, he would recover beautifully for trainer Brendan Walsh and his team and wound up racing eight more times. The 4-year-old Street Sense colt now retires to Darley with eight wins, two seconds, and a third from 11 starts for earnings of $2,001,812.

“He’s been just an unbelievable horse,” said Walsh. “I can’t say enough about the horse. He’s been fantastic from the get-go. He’s come back from the injury and been a learning experience for all of us. It’ll be hard to find another one like him.”

Under the Churchill lights, and amid near-freezing temperatures that kept an ontrack crowd mostly indoors for much of a 12-race card, Midnight Bourbon and jockey Joel Rosario made the lead as expected from their inside post, although Maxfield was never far back when giving closest chase.

Through splits of 23.83, 48.00, and 1:11.70, Midnight Bourbon maintained a slight advantage, but approaching the eighth pole, Maxfield finally started to get the upper hand. Just then, Happy Saver loomed a major threat with an outside run, but with Ortiz asking Maxfield for everything, the colt came through yet again.

“I knew there was somebody coming on the outside,” said Ortiz, who was here from New York on his way to riding Saturday and Sunday at Del Mar. “I knew I had put Midnight Bourbon away and I switched to the left hand, and he gave me another gear when he saw Happy Saver coming. The horse was ready. Brendan has done an amazing job with him.”

Happy Saver, a 12-1 shot under Tyler Gaffalione, nearly drew even with Maxfield with about 100 yards to go. The 4-year-old colt did not switch leads in the stretch, although “I tried him twice,” said Gaffalione. “You can’t keep fighting with them. He gave me everything he had. It was a big effort. Hats off to the winners.”

After the top three, the order was Militarist, King Fury, Night Ops, Dr Post, and Chess Chief.

The $2 exacta (8-4) paid $34.40, the $1 trifecta (8-4-1) returned $49.40, and the 10-cent superfecta (8-4-1-7) was worth $74.53.