Maximus Meridius taking easier route to Carter

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Coming off victories in the Gravesend and Toboggan Stakes at Aqueduct in his last two starts, the Parx-based Maximus Meridius seemed a natural fit for next Saturday’s Grade 3 $175,000 Tom Fool Stakes.

But with an eye toward the Grade 2 Carter here on April 5, trainer Butch Reid wanted to give Maximus Meridius an easier race and found one in a Pennsylvania-bred allowance race Tuesday at Parx where he is the 1-5 morning-line favorite in a field of nine.

“We’ve been pounding away pretty hard on him. I want to take my best shot at the Carter so we’re going to skip over this one, get to run him right here at home,” Reid said. “It’d be a nice time to not have to ship him, get him a nice race here, and it should set him up great for the Carter.”

There were only seven nominated to the Tom Fool, which will be the first graded stakes to be run in New York since the Cigar Mile last Dec. 7. Those expected to run are Bold Journey, Full Moon Madness, Ridgewood Runner, Runninsonofagun, and Top Gunner. Nakatomi, the other nominee, was either going to run in Saturday’s Gulfstream Park Sprint or train up to the Dubai Golden Shaheen.

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