Trainer's late decision pays off with Maximus Meridius victory in Gravesend

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Concerned about his ability to train Maximus Meridius properly over a Parx Racing track that had been closed a few days earlier in the week, trainer and part owner Butch Reid didn’t decide until Friday to run his improving sprinter in Saturday’s $150,000 Gravesend Stakes at Aqueduct.

“We hadn’t trained all week, but he had a really beautiful breeze last week so I knew he was certainly fit enough for this, but he got out [Friday] morning and had a nice little gallop, got to stretch his legs and he ate up everything last night and we decided to go ahead and take a shot,” said Reid, who also had Maximus Meridius entered in Tuesday’s Blitzen Stakes at Parx.

It turned out to be the right call as Maximus Meridius, under Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez, fended off a stretch-long challenge from Full Moon Madness to win the Gravesend by a half-length. It was 1 1/4 lengths back to favorite Runninsonofagun in third.

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The win was the fourth from 13th starts but first in a stakes for Maximus Meridius, a 3-year-old gelding by Maximus Mischief owned by LC Racing, Cash is King LLC and Reid. Maximus Meridius had been winless in eight previous stakes tries with four runner-up finishes.

Velazquez was looking to let some of the other speed in the race go, but his horse was eager and he didn’t want to fight him. Maximus Meridius was pressing Toxic Gray from the inside through an opening quarter in 22.35 seconds.

At the three-eighths pole, Maximus Meridius began to get away but Full Moon Madness, who broke last under Kendrick Carmouche, latched on to Maximus Meridius. The pair ran head and head to the eighth pole, where Velazquez began to get into Maximus Meridius, who edged away in deep stretch.

“I put my hands down, had a nice hold of him, at the quarter pole somebody moved to the outside I was like now we got to go and he put in a really good fight down the lane,” Velazquez said.

Reid said Maximus Meridius has a tendency to wait on horses, but Velazquez told him the horse was responsive when asked for his run.

“Johnny said he responded great when that horse came to him and really dug in nicely and galloped out really strongly,” Reid said. “Johnny thinks seven-eighths or a one-turn mile is not out of the question.”

Maximus Meridius covered the six furlongs in the slop in 1:10.33 and returned $6.90 as the second choice.

Reid mentioned a race like the $200,000 General George, a seven-eighths race at Laurel Park on Feb. 15, as a potential winter target.

Full Moon Madness got bumped at the start and was away slowly and Carmouche felt that compromised his chances.

“His horse [outran] mine the last sixteenth of a mile,” Carmouche said. “I was pleased with my horse, I thought my horse ran hard, done everything perfect. A little bit better break we could have maybe changed the outcome.”

Runninsonofagun finished third and was followed in the order of finish by Top Gunner, Toxic Gray, Tivy and Twenty Four Mamba.

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