Queen Maxima unchallenged with easy score in Monrovia Stakes
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ARCADIA, Calif. – Queen Maxima finished the winter-spring meeting at Santa Anita unbeaten in four starts, the latest being Saturday’s Grade 3 Monrovia Stakes for fillies and mares on the hillside turf course.
It’s safe to say that Queen Maxima is getting better. In each of her wins, the margin of victory increased or was the same.
In her stakes debut in the Wishing Well Stakes at six furlongs on turf on Feb. 22, Queen Maxima won by 3 1/2 lengths as the 3-10 favorite. In the $100,500 Monrovia Stakes against five rivals, Queen Maxima won by 4 1/4 lengths at 1-5.
Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Queen Maxima led from the start and was not challenged.
“In the post parade, she was feeling really good,” Hernandez said. “When the gate opened, she was trying to take the lead. She wanted to be free. She took me to the wire.”
Queen of the Mud (9-2) closed from fourth to finish second, a neck in front of 11-1 Venganza. Ang N Ash, Omaha Girl, and Safa completed the order of finish. The Monrovia was Queen of the Mud’s first start since a win in the restricted Swingtime Stakes here last October.
Queen Maxima ($2.40) gave Hernandez his third stakes win in as many races on Saturday’s program. Earlier in the day, he won the $126,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for statebred 3-year-olds with Style Cat and the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks with Tenma.
Queen Maxima ran about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course in 1:12.93 in the Monrovia and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 93. She set a decent early pace of 22.58 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 44.89 for a half-mile.
Trained by Jeff Mullins for Dutch Girl Holdings and Irving Ventures, Queen Maxima has won 5 of 8 starts and earned $270,900.
The active winning streak consists of two allowance races and two stakes. Queen Maxima won an allowance race by a half-length on Dec. 29 and another on Jan. 23 by 3 1/2 lengths.
A 4-year-old Florida-bred filly by Bucchero, Queen Maxima was purchased for $40,000 at the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sale of 2-year-olds in-training.
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