BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Sent postward as the 2-5 favorite, Florida-bred Queen Maxima dominated the $100,500 Wishing Well at Santa Anita Saturday, winning by three-and-a-half lengths after six furlongs on the turf. It was the first career stakes victory and third straight win for the 4-year-old chestnut filly, who defeated five distaff rivals.
Ridden by jockey Juan Hernandez from post one, Queen Maxima allowed 39-1 longshot Ma Rae’s Girl and Stay and Scam, a multiple stakes winner versus California-breds, to set a honest pace while stalking from a length-and-a-half back in third. Ma Rae’s Girl set quarter-mile splits of :22.22 and :44.73 before Queen Maxima shifted to the the three-path turning for home, easily taking second from Stay and Scam. Ma Rae’s Girl was resilient on the lead until the final furlong, when Queen Maxima cruised past her in mid-stretch and was quickly clear for the easy victory in 1:07.81. Ma Rae’s Girl was never threatened for second as Lauine (Fr) finished another two-and-three-quarters lengths farther back in third. Stay and Scam, Miss Roberts (GB) and Arctic Breeze completed the order of finish.
Trained by Jeff Mullins for Dutch Girl Holdings and Irving Ventures LLC, Queen Maxima returned $2.60 to win.
“She broke really good and I was in a really good spot saving ground on the inside,” Hernandez said. “Jeff told me to ride her with confidence because she was ready to run. I trusted him and trusted my filly. Around the quarter pole I swung out. She is press button. You ask and she takes off in two jumps. She did the rest on her own.”
Making every career start on grass, Queen Maxima won by nearly two lengths going five furlongs in her debut in August then finished last of 10 in a first level, $80,000 optional claiming going a mile in September, both at Del Mar. Undeterred, Mullins next sent Queen Maxima into the $102,000 Unzip Me going down the hill at Santa Anita in September and she finished second to future graded stakes-winner Toupie. Second by nose in a first level optional claiming at five furlongs at Del Mar in August, that would be the last loss for Queen Maxima.
She then won her last two, both at Santa Anita, in a first level $50,000 optional claiming going six furlongs in December and a second level, $80,000 optional claiming at six-and-a-half furlongs down the hill on Jan. 23.
“She’s just been a good horse since we’ve had her,” Mullins said. “I tried stretching her out one time and I think she was victim of circumstance. I ran her back too quick and she pulled the whole way. I don’t really count that. I think she can go long. I think she can do pretty much anything. Including racing on dirt if we ask her.”
Queen Maxima, named for the queen of the Netherlands, has now won four of seven starts with two seconds with earnings of $210,900 for Michele Arthur’s Dutch Girls Holdings LLC and Irving Ventures LLC. She is by Bucchero out of Corfu Lady, by Corfu and was bred in Florida by Saul Rosas. Queen Maxima is the only starter for Corfu Lady, who also has a 3-year-old unraced colt, Florida Chrome, by Gunnevera, who stands at Pleasant Acres Stallions.
A graduate of Ocala Breeders’ Sales, Queen Maxima was purchased for $40,000 by Michael Pender as an agent out of the Blue River Bloodstock consignment.
(Queen Maxima’s Under Tack Video / Walking Video)
Return to the February 22 issue of Wire to Wire
