With Monrovia behind her, Mullins has no immediate plans for Queen Maxima

Trainer Jeff Mullins had an outstanding winter at Santa Anita, where he finished fourth in the trainer standings with 21 wins from 78 runners. But the Santa Anita Derby card on April 4 was frustrating for reasons beyond Intrepido’s fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby points race.

Queen Maxima finished a disappointing third as the 2-5 favorite in the Grade 3 Monrovia Stakes, a hillside turf sprint. Queen Maxima ranks among the country’s top female turf sprinters, but she was a victim of unusual circumstances when she misfired on the hill in the Monrovia.

A breakdown occurred at the dirt crossing in the first hillside race on April 4. For the Monrovia, also on the hill, jockeys were instructed to school horses over the dirt crossing before going to the top of the hill for the start of the Monrovia.

Not every jockey got the message, including Juan Hernandez. “I didn’t know anything about it,” Hernandez told Mullins later. Queen Maxima had won her last three hillside starts under Hernandez. The mare and the jockey were familiar with the unique layout.

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“Juan crossed the dirt, went straight up the hill like he always does, and he was circling [waiting],” Mullins said.

At the top of the hill, a half-mile from the dirt crossing, Hernandez said he was given an ultimatum by a track veterinarian. Hernandez was told if he did not take Queen Maxima back to the bottom of the hill for more schooling at the dirt crossing, that Queen Maxima would be scratched.

“He had to go back down, cross over the dirt, and cross back, and come back or they were going to scratch him,” Mullins said. “Juan said [Queen Maxima] ‘was done before we even got to the gate’.”

Queen Maxima finished third n the Monrovia by two lengths at odds of 2-5 i. Mullins said Saturday no decision had been made regarding a return to Churchill Downs to try to repeat in the Grade 2 Unbridled Sidney Stakes.

Queen Maxima has won eight races and $642,460 from 14 starts. The 5-year-old mare is owned Michele Arthur and Ruben Islas, who also own Intrepido.

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