By Sean Cronin
Godolphin's recent £720,000 Goffs UK Breeze-Up acquisition Maximized (Mehmas) yielded a swift return on investment with a performance worthy of TDN Rising Stardom in Thursday's Betfred “Follow Us On X” EBF Novice Stakes over six furlongs at Haydock.
The Cheveley Park Stud-bred went postward as an 11-2 chance and broke well to stalk the pace in second from the outset of this debut. Looming large before inching ahead passing the quarter-mile marker, he quickened impressively to settle the contest in a matter of strides approaching the final furlong and kept on powerfully in the closing stages to easily account for stablemate Time To Turn (Dark Angel) by 1 1/4 lengths. The runner-up finished 2 3/4 lengths clear of the remainder.
“He was a breeze-up horse, he's got plenty of speed and is a lovely individual,” said winning rider David Probert. “He took everything in his stride during the preliminaries and was the first to load in the gates. He jumped sharp, he was well-balanced and quickened well to put the race to bed quite nicely from the two [furlong pole]. I was impressed with him, he's a lovely prospect and he's got a nice future. I'm sure Charlie [Appleby] will have a plan for him.”
A @godolphin 1-2 but NOT in the order the market expected 🟦🟦
Maximized, a £720,000 breeze-up buy, proves too streetwise for seemingly better-fancied stablemate Time To Turn.
Two colts with stacks of potential. @Betfred | @davidprobert9 pic.twitter.com/ws9rbnNdAk
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 22, 2025
Maximized is the latest of five foals and second scorer produced by a daughter of G1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Hooray (Invincible Spirit), herself a out of Listed Star Stakes winner Hypnotize (Machiavellian). Hypnotize, who is a half-sister to Group 2-winning G1 1000 Guineas third Dazzle (Gone West), also threw Listed Criterium de l'Ouest victor Hypnotic (Lomitas) and Listed Two-Year-Old Trophy third Mazyoun (Mayson). The April-foaled bay is a half-brother to Listed Cathedral Stakes victrix and G3 Ballyogan Stakes runner-up Benefit (Acclamation).
2nd-Haydock, £11,000, Mdn, 5-22, 2yo, 6fT, 1:14.97, g/f.
MAXIMIZED (GB), c, 2, by Mehmas (Ire)
1st Dam: Boost (GB), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Hooray (GB), by Invincible Spirit (Ire)
3rd Dam: Hypnotize (GB), by Machiavellian
Sales history: 95,000gns RNA Ylg '24 TATOCT; £720,000 2yo '25 GOUKBR. *1/2 to Benefit (GB) (Acclamation {GB}), SW-Eng & GSP-Ire. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, £5,940. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Godolphin; B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd (GB); T-Charlie Appleby; J-David Probert.
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