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News Release _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Darren Rogers Senior Director, Communications & Media Services Churchill Downs Racetrack (502) 636-4461 (office) (502) 345-1030 (mobile) [email protected] MAXFIELD SCORES BRILLIANT WIN IN GRADE II, $600,000 STEPHEN FOSTER LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Saturday, June 26, 2021) – Maxfield delivered a brilliant turn of foot around the final turn to comfortably grab the lead in Saturday’s 40th running of the $600,000 Stephen Foster (Grade II) at Churchill Downs as the 4-year-old colt collected his sixth career stakes win while defeating Warrior’s Charge by 3 ¼ lengths and clocking 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.53 on closing day of the Louisville, Ky. track’s 38-day Spring Meet. Trained by Brendan Walsh and owned by Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum’s Godolphin, Maxfield was rated in sixth and in the clear as Empty Tomb and Sprawl led the field of nine older horses into the first turn and down the backstretch through factions of :23.33 and :46.88. Sprawl took over midway around the turn with three furlongs to run but a menacing Maxfield commenced his rally and quickly shot past each rival one by one with utter superiority. He extended his lead down the stretch under a hand ride and then was taken in hand with a sixteenth of a mile to the finish. “It was a really good performance,” Walsh said. “It looks like he continues to improve all the time. Thankfully now he’s been good and healthy. Our goal has been to get a good string of races into him and that’s starting to happen. I’m glad to get over another obstacle today. We’ll hope he comes out of today’s race in good order and we’ll move on to the next one.” The lofty $357,120 first prize lifted the classy dark bay or brown Kentucky-bred’s earnings to millionaire status: $1,265,902 from a record of 7-0-1 in eight starts. His lone blemish was a third in the $400,000 Santa Anita Handicap (GI) in March. “I just sort of had to stay out of his way,” said winning rider Jose Ortiz. “He has a big stride and does it so nicely. It’s great to be back here at Churchill with this horse. He seems to be getting better and loves it here.” The victory in the Stephen Foster, a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In Classic Division” race, earned Maxfield a guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the $6 million Longines Classic (GI), which is scheduled for Nov. 6 at Del Mar. Also, his connections will have all Breeders’ Cup pre-entry and entry fees covered and receive a travel award up to $10,000. Maxfield, at the compressed odds of 2-5, rewarded his backers with mutuels of $2.80, $2.20 and $2.10. Warrior’s Charge, with Florent Geroux aboard, closed for second and returned $5 and $3.60 as the 7-1 second betting choice. Sprawl, another two lengths back in third under Brian Hernandez Jr., paid $4.20 to show at odds of 12-1. South Bend, Chess Chief, Empty Tomb, Necker Island, Visitant and Silver Dust completed the order of finish. Maxfield, winner of the Grade I Breeders’ Futurity at age 2, was on the Road to the Kentucky Derby in 2020 when he cruised to a one-length victory in the $150,000 Matt Winn (GIII) at Churchill Downs. Unfortunately, due to a condylar fracture following a workout at Keeneland, Maxfield went on the sidelines until the fall. He returned to competition in December at Fair Grounds and posted wins in the $75,000 Tenacious and $200,000 Mineshaft (GIII) at Fair Grounds. Following his third behind Idol and Express Train at Santa Anita, Maxfield returned to win the $400,000 Alysheba (GII) on the Kentucky Oaks undercard. “We had a lot of confidence today,” said Godolphin North American President Jimmy Bell. “He settled down up the backside and down the lane he finished in a strong hand ride. It’s his fourth start of the year, so it’s good to see the succession of races coming together. We can look at the (Aug. 7) Whitney (GI) as a primary target.” Maxfield is a son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense out of the Bernardini mare Velvety and was bred by his owners. ********************************************************************************************************************* TOP MARE LETRUSKA CRUISES IN GRADE II, $300,000 FLEUR DE LIS Letruska validated her status as America’s top older dirt female with a front-running 5 ¾-length demolition job in Saturday’s 46th running of the $300,000 Fleur de Lis (Grade II) at Churchill Downs. Antoinette was second, three-quarters of a length in front of Envoutante in third. Sent to post as the odds-on 3-5 favorite in the field of six fillies and mares, Letruska, under Jose Ortiz, dictated the terms and loped on the lead through quarter-mile splits of :24.53, :48.19 and 1:11.36 with Antoinette briefly applying pressure down the backstretch. Letruska opened up her lead on the turn and continued to widen the margin down the stretch for a comfortable triumph in 1:48.57 for 1 1/8 miles. -more- Stephen Foster, Fleur de Lis, Wise Dan, Bashford Manor, Debutante, War Chant and Tepin Stakes Recaps and Quotes Saturday, June 26, 2021 Page 2 of 6 By winning the Fleur de Lis, Letruska secured a “Win and You’re In” berth to the $4 million Longines Distaff (GI) on Nov. 6 at Del Mar. “She’s a spectacular horse, said trainer Fausto Gutierrez. “I don’t really like to say what’s next but she was great today. We know she’s a really nice dirt horse and is supposed to win at different racetracks and different conditions for a possible Horse of the Year campaign.” Letruska paid $3.40, $2.80 and $2.10. Antoinette, with jockey Florent Geroux aboard, paid $10.60 and $4.40 as the 22-1 longest shot in the field. Envoutante, the 2-1 second betting choice ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., returned $2.40. Point of Honor, Spice Is Nice and Vault rounded out the field. Letruska, a 5-year-old daughter of Super Saver out of the Successful Appeal mare Magic Appeal, improved her record to 15-1- 1 in 20 starts and the $184,140 first prized boosted her career earnings to $1,616,459. She was bred in Kentucky by her owner, German Larrea’s St. George Stable LLC. Earlier this year, Letruska scored a front-running victory in the $500,000 Ogden Phipps (GI) on the Belmont Stakes undercard. In April, she re-rallied against multiple champion Monomoy Girl to win the $1 million Apple Blossom (GI). “There was a little question mark coming into this race off three weeks rest but I knew Fausto is a great trainer and he’d have her ready,” Ortiz said. “She is a really nice mare and she was ready today. She got to the front pretty easy and she was comfortable the entire way around there.” Letruska has won six graded stakes in the last two years. ********************************************************************************************************************* SET PIECE FLIES LATE TO LAND GRADE II, $300,000 WISE DAN Juddmonte’s Set Piece (GB) weaved through traffic in deep stretch to collar pace-setting Somelikeithotbrown to win Saturday’s 32nd running of the $300,000 Wise Dan (Grade II) at Churchill Downs. Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Florent Geroux, Set Piece (GB) completed 1 1/16 miles over the firm Matt Winn Turf Course in 1:40.50, just .24 seconds off the stakes record set by Kasaqui (ARG) in 2017. “He’s a very nice horse,” Geroux said. “No matter where he comes from, inside or outside, he always seems to rally late. Turning for home, he gave me his best run. I’m very proud of this horse and I think this year is the best we’ve seen from him.” Somelikeithotbrown broke sharply from the gate under Jose Ortiz and set early fractions of :24.18 and :47.94. While Somelikeithotbrown had a solo lead, Set Piece (GB) was in ninth early. Following three-quarters of a mile in 1:11.70, Set Piece began to make his charge at Somelikeithotbrown. At the head of the lane, Set Piece (GB) continued to close significant ground but was still about seven lengths behind Somelikeithotbrown. Inside the eighth-pole Geroux navigated Set Piece (GB) inside tiring Field Pass to rally past Somelikeithotbrown by a half-length. Set Piece (GB) returned $5.40, $3.40 and $2.40 for his Wise Dan victory. Somelikeithotbrown paid $3.80 and $2.80. Ride a Comet, under jockey Tyler Gaffalione finished third and paid $3. Set Piece (GB) is a 5-year-old gelded son of Dansili (GB) out of the Kingmambo mare Portodora. He was bred in Great Britain by Juddmonte. Set Piece earned $176,700 for his Wise Dan victory, which improved his career earnings to $433,744. He sports a stout record of 16-9-1-1 with four victories over the Matt Winn Turf Course. “A lot of credit goes to the Juddmonte team who kept this horse in training at five-years-old,” Cox said. “Today he was able to get by a very good horse late. We’re very proud of him. Flo gave a great ride and saved as much ground as possible.” Field Pass, Kentucky Ghost, Spooky Channel, Mutakatif (IRE), In Love (BRZ), Hierarchy and Super Sol completed the order of finish.