Withers winner Max Player to skip Arkansas Derby

After briefly considering a trip to Oaklawn Park for the Grade 1, $750,000 Arkansas Derby on May 2, the connections of Max Player have decided to pass that race and wait for something closer to home in New York.

“I spoke to [owner] George Hall and we’ve decided that it’s too far to go,” Rice said by phone Friday from Belmont Park. “It’s going to be a pretty strong race and it’s a long way to travel so we’re going to stay here and hope that we reopen and have something that’s immediately in front of us.”

Though nothing has been made official, sources have told Daily Racing Form that the New York Racing Association is hopeful of being able to open Belmont Park for live racing at the end of May or early June. The last day of racing on this circuit was March 15.

Max Player has not run since winning the Grade 3 Withers Stakes by 3 1/4 lengths at Aqueduct on Feb. 1. Rice had been pointing Max Player to the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 4. That race, as well as the entire 13-day spring meet at Aqueduct, was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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In the interim, Rice has given Max Player a series of stamina-building workouts on a bi-weekly basis. Most recently, Max Player worked six furlongs by himself in 1:14.78 over the Belmont training track on Wednesday.

“I’ve worked him in company sometimes, I’ve worked him alone other times, he’s become a more professional breeze horse where he doesn’t need the company,” Rice said. “Before, he was a bit lazy, but he seems to be maturing through that and he’s pretty reliable at this point as a breeze horse.

“I worked him seven-eighths twice, I worked him three-quarters the other day. I spaced his breezes out as I have all my horses because we don’t know what the target is yet. I also want to keep them racing fit and at their best so we can, with one breeze, we’ll be ready to go.”

Max Player, a son of Honor Code, has won two of three starts.

Montauk Traffic, the Rice-trained winner of the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes and most recently fourth in the Grade 3 Gotham, worked five furlongs in 1:00.15 over the Belmont training track. Rice had been pointing the 3-year-old son of Cross Traffic to the Grade 3 Bay Shore Stakes on that same April 4 card.

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“It was a great breeze, he really trained well [Thursday],” Rice said. “I hope we get to run soon because he’s in good form right now.”

Wicked Trick, who had a six-race winning streak snapped when he finished fifth in the Stymie Stakes, is due to breeze again soon, Rice said. Rice said she will await a schedule before deciding where to try and run the 5-year-old gelding by Hat Trick.

“I think it’s just based on what opportunities are in front of us,” Rice said. “He can run three-quarters, he can run a mile. Ideally, he might be best at 6 1/2 or seven so they set a pace in front of him. Right now, any race would work.”

Rice said Newly Minted, her multiple New York-bred stakes-winning 4-year-old filly, is currently being turned out at Dr. Patty Hogan’s farm in New Jersey. Newly Minted most recently finished second in the Heavenly Prize Stakes.

“She’d been here over a year in training and accomplished a lot,” Rice said. “We had intended to give her a break this summer and put her in training in the fall.”