Maximum Security gritty in Haskell victory
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Following his disqualification to 17th after crossing the wire first in the Kentucky Derby and his runner-up performance to King for a Day in the Pegasus, Maximum Security needed a win in the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Saturday. And he delivered in a huge way, holding on to a stubborn 1 1/4-length victory over Mucho Gusto.
The Haskell gives Maximum Security two Grade 1 victories this year – he also won the Florida Derby – and sends him to the Travers at Saratoga with an opportunity to put a stranglehold on the 3-year-old division. The victory thrilled both trainer Jason Servis and owner-breeder Gary West, who is challenging the New Year’s Day colt’s Kentucky Derby disqualification in court.
Servis said he would soon send Maximum Security to Saratoga to train.
“If he blossoms, we’ll probably do it,” Servis said of the Travers.
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West, who also owns last year’s 2-year-old champion and recent Los Alamitos Derby victor Game Winner, went one step further.
“The Travers is a special race and if you have two horses that have a chance to win it, I’d like to take two shots at it,” he said.
The Haskell was not without controversy. Maximum Security and jockey Luis Saez were beginning to get the better of King for a Day on the far turn when jockey John Velazquez had to check him hard. The stewards conducted a brief inquiry into the incident but let the order of finish stand.
“He did more than tighten it up,” Velazquez said. “He bumped me into the rail."
Maximum Security broke sharply from the outside post in the six-horse Haskell and in a change of style rated just off the pace, which Bethlehem Road set on a short lead while being prompted from the outside by King for a Day.
On the backstretch of the 1 1/8-mile race, the field bunched up with Maximum Security three wide and Mucho Gusto racing just behind him. Maximum Security took the lead outside King for a Day on the far turn while Mucho Gusto quickly moved up to challenge outside horses.
Maximum Security and Mucho Gusto battled it out down the stretch with Maximum Security holding on to the lead fiercely late.
“I know there’s going to be a lot of speed in the race,” Saez said. “I’m not going to go to the lead and let everybody press me, and I had the best post, I think. I just came out of the break from the gate and waited to see how fast they were going. When I saw that everybody wanted take the lead I just stayed right there.”
Joe Talamo, the rider of the Bob Baffert-trained Much Gusto, was happy with his horse’s performance.
“I thought I had him at the quarter pole,” Talamo said. “I followed the winner all the way around. My horse fought hard.”
It was eight lengths back from Mucho Gusto to third-place Spun to Run. King for a Day finished fifth.
Maximum Security paid $3.60 to win. He was timed in 1:47.56 following fractions of 22.92, 46.71, 1:10.17, and 1:34.96 on a hot, humid summer day.
The Haskell originally was scheduled to go off at 5:47 p.m. and be shown live on NBC but was pushed back to 8:12 p.m. due to the ongoing heat wave. Monmouth management made a decision after the day’s first and second races were run to cancel six non-stakes on the 14-race card and run the six scheduled stakes beginning at 6 p.m. when temperatures were a bit cooler.
Neither Servis or West were surprised that Maximum Security was able to rate as nicely as he did in the Haskell.
“I believe he doesn’t need the lead,” Servis said. “There were a couple of speed horses inside him. When I talked to Luis, we loved his post. The plan was to lay close. To break good and try to get a spot.”
West thinks Maximum Security’s Haskell score puts him atop the 3-year-old division with the Travers, Pennsylvania Derby, and the Breeders’ Cup Classic the most important remaining races on the schedule.
“I don’t know how this race doesn’t put him on top,” West said.
Maximum Security earned a guaranteed, fees-paid berth in the BC Classic because the Haskell is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.
Maximum Security is now has a 5-1-0 record from seven starts, including his Kentucky Derby disqualification, and earnings of $1.27 million.