No Catching New Year's Day Colt in Florida Derby

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL–Despite the fact Maximum Security (New Year's Day) entered Saturday's GI Xpressebet Florida Derby with a perfect record of three-for-three, neither his trainer Jason Servis nor the betting public seemed to have a ton of confidence in his ability to see out nine panels at the Grade I level. The 9-2 shot's previous victories had come at seven panels or less in a $16,000 maiden claimer and a pair of starter optional claimers, but the Gary and Mary West homebred silenced all doubters Saturday evening with a front-running score, earning a spot in the gate for the Run for the Roses.

“I really wasn't [confident],” Servis said in the trainer's lounge during the post-race press conference. “I didn't really know what to expect. He's been beating up on lesser horses. I think the last race was a six-horse field maybe, so the jury was still out. If he had run sixth, would I have been surprised? No. I thought Luis [Saez] did a great job of getting out there and backing it up.”

Away smoothly from post seven, Maximum Security seized the early advantage and loped along through opening splits of :24.42 and :48.98 with 71-1 longshot Bodexpress (Bodemeister), a four-race maiden who made quite a fuss before loading, just to his outside. Fellow longshot Union's Destiny　(Union Rags) tracked up three deep, while favored 'TDN Rising Star' Hidden Scroll (Hard Spun) scraped paint behind the top two.

Edging away a bit under a hand ride from the red hot Luis Saez as they hit the three-eighths pole in 1:12.90, Maximum Security proved not for catching in the lane, cruising clear to a 3 1/2-length score. A determined Bodexpress held second, while GII Fountain of Youth S. winner Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) was ridden to pick up three furlongs from home and rallied mildly for third. Bourbon War (Tapit) was also inconvenienced by the lack of pace, but nevertheless rallied wide on the turn and was a bit green in the final sixteenth en route to a non-threatening fourth.

“The plan was not to go to the lead,” Servis, celebrating his second Grade I victory, said. “I talked to Luis about it. I didn't want to over-read the race. Luis agreed that there was going to be a couple speed horses that might not be as good as a Derby horse, so we were really thinking that we were going to be laying third. At the end of the day I told Luis, 'Look, he's yours. He breaks, and you ride him however you want.' It was his decision 100%. They went slow early, and the rest is history.”

Servis continued, “He wasn't beating anything, he really wasn't, but he was three-for-three at the track and I had Luis Saez. I was like, 'Hello, what's the downside?' I'll leave it to Team West. They've got some really good managers and we'll see what they think they want to do. They've got that horse Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}), so I don't know what we'll decide. I guess I have to cancel my fishing trip in May.”

“It was beautiful,” Saez said. “He broke so perfect and I just took it. He was traveling beautiful, and when he came to the half-mile pole and you feel the pressure I knew I had a lot of horse and in the stretch he just took off. My plan was if [Hidden Scroll] or somebody else took the lead I'm going to sit because I don't want to make the race for somebody else. He took it so easy, so I just went with it.”

Of Hidden Scroll, beaten 11 1/2 lengths in sixth, Hall of Famer Bill Mott said, “I know the pace wasn't that fast; we were close enough to the pace. If [Maximum Security] had beat us a head or neck, you say, 'Well, maybe it would have been nice to take him on earlier.' He was having a good trip, he was right in behind them. [Jockey Javier Castellano] said he rated beautifully, said he's push-button, but when he really needed him they kind of opened up on him on the turn and he came up empty. We probably bit off a little more than we could chew at this point. We'll back off and kind of start over with him.”

Dangled for a $16,000 tag on debut, Maximum Security romped by 9 3/4 lengths in a 6 1/2-furlong event at Gulfstream Dec. 20. Cruising to a 6 1/2-length triumph in a starter optional claimer going a half-furlong shorter in the mud here Jan. 24, the bay demolished a seven-furlong starter optional claimer by 18 1/4 lengths in Hallandale last time Feb. 20, earning a field-best 102 Beyer Speed Figure.

Pedigree Notes:

Maximum Security is the first Grade I winner, first graded winner and fifth black-type victor for his young sire New Year's Day, who captured the 2013 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile for the Wests. The Wests' bloodstock agent Ben Glass picked up the winner's dam Lil Indy for $80,000 carrying a foal by Pioneerof the Nile at the 2014 Keeneland January Sale. The half-sister to MGISW millionaire and sire Flat Out (Flatter) has produced three winners from four foals of racing age and her most recent produce is a yearling colt by Flashback. The Wests sold Lil Indy for $11,000 to Korean interests at the recent Keeneland November sale carrying Maximum Security's full-sibling.

Maximum Security is the first graded winner and third black-type winner produced by a daughter of Grade III winner Anasheed (A.P. Indy), a son of champion Flagbird (Nureyev) who shares second dam Up the Flagpole (Hoist the Flag) with Horse of the Year Mineshaft (A.P. Indy).

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
XPRESSBET FLORIDA DERBY-GI, $1,000,000, Gulfstream, 3-30, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:48.86, ft.
1–MAXIMUM SECURITY, 122, c, 3, by New Year's Day
                1st Dam: Lil Indy, by Anasheed
                2nd Dam: Cresta Lil, by Cresta Rider
                3rd Dam: Rugosa, by Double Jay
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. O-Gary & Mary West; B-Gary & Mary West Stables Inc.
(KY); T-Jason Servis; J-Luis Saez. $582,800. Lifetime Record:
4-4-0-0, $649,400. *1st GSW & GISW for sire (by Street Cry {Ire}).
Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Bodexpress, 122, c, 3, Bodemeister–Pied a Terre, by City Zip.
($45,000 RNA Ylg '17 KEESEP; $37,000 RNA 2yo '18 EASMAY).
O-Top Racing, LLC, Global Thoroughbred & GDS Racing Stable;
B-Martha Jane Mulholland (KY); T-Gustavo Delgado. $188,000.
3–Code of Honor, 122, c, 3, Noble Mission (GB)–Reunited, by
Dixie Union. ($70,000 RNA Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-W.S. Farish; B-W.
Farish (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $94,000.
Margins: 3HF, 3 1/4, 3/4. Odds: 4.80, 71.50, 3.80.
Also Ran: Bourbon War, Current, Hidden Scroll, Union's Destiny, Harvey Wallbanger, Everfast, Garter and Tie, Hard Belle.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.