Grade I-winning juvenile Maxfield (Street Sense), who was forced to scratch as one of the top choices in the GI TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile due to a minor foot bruise, will get a freshening for the remainder of 2019 and target a 2020 campaign, trained Brendan Walsh told the Churchill notes team Sunday.
“He'll get a break at the farm for a little while and I'll bring him back next year,” Walsh said. “I haven't completely mapped out a campaign next year for the [GI Kentucky] Derby. This horse can really be anything. He's extremely special.”
Rallying from last to graduate on debut Sept. 14 in Louisville, Godolphin homebred trailed the field again in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity Oct. 5 at Keeneland and inhaled his competition on the far turn en route to an impressive 5 1/2-length romp. He was listed as the third favorite on the morning line before scratching out of the Juvenile.
“If he even had a hair turn we were going to scratch him,” Walsh said. “He just wasn't right so obviously we weren't going to take any chances. Our goal with him has always been a 3-year-old campaign. I was surprised he broke his maiden like he did first out. I thought he would be the type of horse that would take some time to break his maiden.”
Walsh reported that Maxfield will likely return to his Florida base this winter.
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