BY CHURCHILL DOWNS PRESS OFFICE

Wathnan Racing’s Gotham Stakes (Grade 3) winner Flood Zone headlines an ultra-competitive field of 13 3-year-olds that entered Sunday’s fourth running of the $250,000 Maxfield Stakes (Listed) at Churchill Downs.

The seven-furlong Maxfield is one of five stakes on the closing day card that also includes the $300,000 Hanshin presented by JRA (Listed); $225,000 Bashford Manor (Listed); $225,000 Debutante (Listed); and $175,000 Anchorage Overnight Stakes.

Post time for the Maxfield Stakes is 5:27 p.m. EDT as Race 10. First post is 12:45 p.m.

Trained by Brad Cox, Flood Zone tested the Road to the Kentucky Derby this winter and won the one-mile Gotham by three-and-a-quarter lengths at odds of 17-1. Following that start, his connections shipped him to Dubai where he finished a disappointing seventh in the mile-and-three-sixteenths UAE Derby (Gr. 2). The 3-year-old son of Frosted was transferred to Cox’s barn earlier this year following his dominant five-and-a-quarter lengths score in a state-bred maiden special weight contest for trainer Victor Barboza Jr. The Florida-bred will be ridden in the Maxfield by Florent Geroux from post eight.

Cox also will saddle Resolute Racing’s undefeated Verifire in the race. The chestnut son of Authentic won his debut by six-and-a-quarter lengths on March 15 at Colonial Downs and followed up that victory with a first-level allowance score by sixs-and-one-half lengths on May 16 at Pimlico. Flavien Prat has the mount and drew post 10.

The deep field for the Maxfield also includes Southwest Stakes (Gr. 3) winner Speed King, Chick Lang Stakes winner Retribution, three-time stakes winner Kale’s Angel and Withers Stakes winner Captain Cook.

The complete lineup for the Maxfield Stakes from the rail out (with jockey and trainer) includes: Ancient World (Luis Saez, Joe Sharp); Captain Cook (Irad Ortiz Jr., Rick Dutrow Jr.); Normandy Coast (Ben Curtis, Eddie Kenneally); Perfect Force (Nik Juarez, D. Wayne Lukas); Retribution (Jose Ortiz, Cherie DeVaux); Smoken Wicked (Brian Hernandez Jr., Dallas Stewart); Speed King (Junior Alvarado, Ron Moquett); Flood Zone (Geroux, Cox); Max Got Excited (Gabe Saez, Aaron Shorter); Verifire (Prat, Cox); Kale’s Angel (Ramon Vazquez, Peter Miller); Dreaminblue (Cristian Torres, Randy Morse); and Furio (Jaime Torres, Joe Sharp).

Return to the June 27 issue of Wire to Wire