BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Queen Maxima, the 2025 Florida-bred Champion Turf Female, returns after a trip to Kentucky and a short break of just two weeks in Saturday’s $100,000 Mizdirection at Santa Anita Saturday. Owned by Michele Arthur’s Dutch Girl Holdings and Ruben Islas’ Irving Ventures, both of San Diego, Queen Maxima joins Florida-breds Sprited Boss and Rosie Jeeks in the field of nine fillies and mares set to contend six-and-a-half furlongs on the downhill turf course.

The three Florida-breds will also race for a $4,000 Export Incentive paid to their breeders by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association for an ungraded stakes victory run outside the Sunshine State.

Queen Maxima is back at her base in trainer Jeff Mullins’ barn in Southern California after finishing fourth while trying to defend her title in the Grade 2 Unbridled Sidney sprinting five-and-a-half furlongs on the Churchill Downs grass on May 1. Last year, Queen Maxima set a course record under the Twin Spires while winning the Unbridled Sidney by three-and-a-half lengths in 1:01.29 on the good turf.

The 5-year-old mare also relishes the grass course at Santa Anita where she has never finished out of the top three while winning five of seven lifetime races including the Grade 3 Las Cienegas at the same distance on January 11. She also won last year’s Grade 3 Monrovia off the hill and the $100,000 Monrovia at six furlongs in April of last year.

 

Two starts back, Queen Maxima was third in this year’s Monrovia won by Spirited Boss with Amorita, also entered for Saturday, second.

Bred in Florida by the late Saul Rosas, Queen Maxima is out of Corfu Lady, by Corfu and sports and career ledger of eight wins, two seconds and third in 15 starts with earnings of $662,060.

Queen Maxima has post six and will be ridden by her regular rider Juan Hernandez. They are heavily favored in the program at 4-5.

Based at the Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Florida, with trainer Jose D’Angelo, Spirited Boss makes her first start since winning the Monrovia by three-quarters of a length in her first and only trip to Southern California.

A winner of half of her 10 career starts including the $158,000 Sanibel Island (Listed) at Gulfstream Park in March of 2025, Spirited Boss has career earnings of $301,750.

She is by Street Boss out of Spirited Storm, by Stormy Atlantic and is a homebred for Tag Stables.

Mike Smith rode her to victory in the Monrovia and has the return mount for the Mizdirection. They are 5-1 on the morning line and have post eight.

Rosie Jeeks is trained by Neil Drysdale for Marsha Naify and exits a ninth-place finish in the Grade 3 Royal Heroine going a mile on the turf at Santa Anita on April 25. She started the year finishing sixth behind Queen Maxima and runner-up Princess Moche (Per), also entered in the Mizdirection, in the Monrovia, before finishing second in the $30,000 Queen of the Green at Turf Paradise on March 31.

Rosie Jeeks was bred in Florida by Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck and has won three of eight career starts with earnings of $147,820. Armando Ayuso rides from post five and they are 30-1 on the morning line. 

Also entered are Marian Cross (GB) with jockey Hector Berrios, Candy Bar with Tyler Baze up, Amorita will be ridden by Antonio Fresu, Emisael Jaramillo has the call on Princesa Moche, Antifora (Fr) will be guided by Tiago Pereira and Joel Rosario takes the reins on Certitude (Fr).

Return to the May 14 issue of Wire to Wire