'Just a special horse:' Unbeaten Maxfield improves to 5-for-5

Maxfield continued his winning ways in the Grade 3, $150,000 Mineshaft Stakes at Fair Grounds on Saturday, moving to 5-for-5 in his career.

“He’s just a special horse,” trainer Brendan Walsh said after the race. “You point him in the right direction and he does it for you and it’s just a privilege to have him in our barn.”

The Street Sense colt got off to a slow start and began the race at the back of the pack, behind Dinar, who broke like a shot and attempted to wire the field. Dinar stayed well in the lead for much of the 1 1/16-mile race, knocking out fractions of 23.97, 47.49 and 1:13.06.

Around the far turn, Dinar’s large lead evaporated and the field caught up to him. Maxfield came from outside the leader, taking over in the stretch and only increasing his lead from there, putting up a winning time of 1:43.67.

“The key I think with this horse is just getting into a nice rhythm, whatever is comfortable,” winning jockey Florent Geroux said after the race. “Even if it’s a little bit closer or it’s further, it’s whatever the horse is comfortable… when I asked him down the lane he just gave me a very nice kick.”

Sonneman finished in second place, while Blackberry Wine completed the trifecta. Maxfield returned $3.20 for the win.

As for what’s next for Maxfield, Walsh was non-committal.

“We’ll see how he comes out of it,” Walsh said.

Though he owns a perfect record, success has not come easy for Maxfield. He earned his first stakes victory in the 2019 Breeders Futurity (G1) at Keeneland, but missed the Breeders' Cup Juvenile because of an ankle injury. The colt remained away from the track until winning the 2020 Matt Winn (G3) at Churchill Downs in May. He then missed the rescheduled Triple Crown with another injury and was out until December, when he won the Tenacious Stakes at Fair Grounds. The Mineshaft marked Maxfield's first race of 2021.