Walsh enjoys near perfect weekend at Keeneland; Maxfield headed to Breeders' Cup Juvenile

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Brendan Walsh was making his way through the Keeneland crowd Sunday, minutes after Vitalogy had come up a neck shy of catching Peace Achieved in the Dixiana Bourbon Stakes.

He stopped to give a weary smile and a mild complaint.

“Nearly a perfect weekend,” said Walsh, the trainer of Vitalogy.

It had been 24 hours since Walsh enjoyed a career breakthrough, and he had been absolutely overwhelmed by congratulatory back pats, handshakes, hugs, phone calls, text messages, clinking glasses, and attaboys. Maxfield, as a smashing 5 1/2-length winner of the Breeders’ Futurity on Saturday, not only gave Walsh the first Grade 1 winner of his training career but also threatens to make the 46-year-old Irish-born trainer a central figure on the trail toward the 2020 Kentucky Derby.

Walsh had spent Saturday night out with friends, acting out on their feelings of exuberance.

“We did a bit of celebrating last night,” he said. “If you don’t celebrate that, what do you celebrate?”

Maxfield, a Godolphin homebred by Street Sense, was making just his second career start after getting up late to win a one-mile maiden race at Churchill Downs on Sept. 14. Walsh has a lengthy employment history with Godolphin, having worked different stints for the powerhouse stable on three continents.

“To win for them is just phenomenal,” he said. “I am so very thankful for the opportunity.”

Maxfield, said Walsh, has “a fantastic mind.”

“Everybody could see that in the paddock before,” he said. “And even in the race, to run into kickback like that, like he did in his maiden as well. He does it all. He makes us look good, because you point him in the right direction and he does it. He’s just a pleasure to train.

“To come back in three weeks was the question I had in my mind. I was kind of worried if it was too quick to come back with a 2-year-old. But he proved me wrong. I thought he might even need a run or two to break his maiden, and I was totally wrong there as well. Good horses do that. He’s done everything right so far.”

Maxfield will remain stabled at Keeneland prior to shipping to California a few days out from the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, said Walsh.

Meanwhile, Vitalogy was just a few strides late in giving Walsh a second 2-year-old graded stakes winner on the opening weekend of the Keeneland fall meet. The British-bred colt was making his second start in North America, having begun with two overseas races.

“He ran really good, and the whole objective was to get him into the Breeders’ Cup [Juvenile Turf],” he said. “Hopefully his strong run gets us in.”

Earlier Sunday, Walsh won a second-level allowance route with Grandaria, a 3-year-old Curlin filly who surely will return to the stakes ranks before long.

“She helped make it an unforgettable weekend,” said Walsh.

Amoss mourns his mom

Trainer Tom Amoss was in Mississippi early this week to mourn his mother, Berthe, who died Sunday at age 94. “She lived a full life and died peacefully,” said Amoss, one of five surviving brothers.

Amoss took time away to say that Serengeti Empress, the 2019 Kentucky Oaks winner, will be cross-entered in two Breeders’ Cup races, with the Distaff designated as first preference over the Filly and Mare Sprint.