Maximus Mischief looks confident in Remsen Stakes triumph

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Maximus Mischief passed the audition.

Dominant in two sprints at his home base at Parx Racing, Maximus Mischief stepped up in company, stretched out in distance and handled both with aplomb, recording a 2 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct.

The victory not only kept Maximus Mischief perfect in three starts, it put him squarely on the 2019 Kentucky Derby trail. He earned 10 qualifying points toward the Derby with his Remsen win and will head to South Florida to prepare for his 3-year-old campaign.

“Going a mile and an eighth in December, I think puts him ahead of the curve,” winning trainer Butch Reid said.

Reid was concerned about how deep and slow the Aqueduct main track played Saturday - the Grade 2 Demoiselle went 1:56.01 for 1 1/8 miles and the Grade 3 Go for Wand was timed in 1:38.35 for a mile. But the track at Parx has also been deep.

Gladiator King, a 60-1 shot ridden by Julian Pimentel, went out for the early lead in the Remsen but jockey Frankie Pennington had Maximus Mischief within a half-length after a quarter in 25.12 seconds.

With 6 1/2 furlongs to run, Maximus Mischief went to the lead and had Tax to his outside and Gladiator King to his inside.

After six furlongs in 1:14.60, only Tax remained a pace threat to Maximus Mischief. Tax, under Manny Franco, did his best to stay with Maximus Mischief into the lane, but at the three-sixteenths pole, Pennington began to ask his horse and Maximus Mischief responded, spurting away from Tax and opening up a 2 1/2-length lead at the eighth pole that he basically kept to the wire.

“When [Tax] came on me, Maximus jumped right into the bit,” Pennington said. “I knew if they’re going to beat him they’re going to have to be really running.”

Network Effect, who went off the even-money favorite, caught Tax by a half-length for second. It was 6 1/4 lengths back to Bourbon War in fourth. Jungle Warrior, Gladiator King, and Chinomado, a 159-1 shot, finished last.

Maximus Mischief, a son of Into Mischief owned by Cash is King and LC Racing, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.34 and returned $4.80.

“To go from seven-eighths to a mile and an eighth and do it the way he did it was a pretty good accomplishment, I’d say,” Reid said. “He runs the turns very well and he swaps leads really good, that’s generally where he gets the drop on them.”

Reid did say that Maximus Mischief did switch leads “an extra time” in deep stretch.

“It was a deep track,” Reid said. “He was getting tired. He’ll get a ton out of this race.”

Maximus Mischief gives owner Chuck Zacney a pretty potent pair for the spring classics. He is also part owner of Jaywalk, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, who will be among the early favorites for the Kentucky Oaks.

“I’m already tired of the cold days here, so I think I’ll be spending a lot of warm days down in South Florida,” Zacney said.

While Jaywalk will likely be based at Palm Meadows with John Servis, Maximus Mischief is expected to be based at Gulfstream Park with Reid.