Maxus did no work to advance to Saturday’s (May 5) $133,800 Dexter Cup final for three-year-old trotters at Freehold Raceway, but the field’s top money-earner might need to work a little bit extra to advance to the winner’s circle this weekend.
One of three horses to skip last weekend’s Dexter Cup elimination thanks to a bye based on career earnings, Maxus drew Post 7 for the final, which is the season’s first stakes race on the road to August’s $1.2 million Hambletonian. Only one starting position (Post 8) has produced fewer winners than Post 7 at Freehold’s half-mile oval.
Vics Winner, who won the eight-horse Dexter Cup elimination by a neck over On The Ropes in 1:57, will start from Post 3. On The Ropes drew Post 1.
Post 1 leads Freehold with a 22.5 per cent win rate, while Post 3 is 15.4 per cent and Post 7 is 5.2 per cent.
“You know how it is,” said Jimmy Takter, who trains Maxus, “when you’re racing on a half-mile track you want to see a decent post.”
Maxus, who is eligible to the Hambletonian and will be making his seasonal debut in the Dexter Cup, won three of 11 races last year and earned $162,836 for owners Brixton Medical Inc. and Christina Takter. Yannick Gingras will drive the colt in the Dexter Cup.
A son of Muscle Hill out of Gerris Joy, Maxus’ wins last season included a division of the Bluegrass Stakes and elimination for the William Wellwood Memorial, where he finished third in the final. He also earned cheques in the Peter Haughton Memorial and Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship.
“He was a pretty solid horse last year,” Takter said. “He’s a pretty gutsy horse. He was always there last year. He raced most of the dances. He just needs a little luck.
“He could be (a horse for the Hambletonian). He needs to develop a little bit, but it’s a long time until August.”
Maxus, pictured victorious as a two-year-old over Mohawk (New Image Media)
Joining Maxus in receiving byes for the Dexter Cup were the Julie Miller-trained Don and the Trond Smedshammer-trained Perlucky, who both were winners on the New York Sire Stakes circuit last year.
Vics Winner heads to the final with four wins in his past five starts dating to last year. This season, the Joie De Vie Farm and Winbak Farm-owned colt has won two of three races. George Brennan, who guided Vics Winner to victory in the elimination, will be back to drive the horse in the final.
“He was very good,” trainer Hermann Heitmann said about Vic’s Winner in the elimination. “He showed good gate speed, he came right out, and George drove him just perfect.
“I’m very lucky with the No. 3 (post). I’m very happy with that. Everybody will be going for position, we have to make sure we get a good trip out of it. But everything has worked out perfect so far.”
First race post time is 12:30 p.m. (EDT) Saturday, with the Dexter Cup carded as Race 10. Two races prior to the Dexter Cup, the $66,400 Lady Suffolk for three-year-old female trotters will be contested.
Following is the field for the Dexter Cup. Vics Winner, Thrust Control, Don, and Maxus are eligible to the Hambletonian.
(Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer)
1-On The Ropes-Dan Dube-Ake Svanstedt
2-Lindys Big Bang-David Miller-R. ‘Nifty’ Norman
3-Vics Winner-George Brennan-Hermann Heitmann
4-Thrust Control-Brian Sears-Marcus Melander
5-Don-Andy Miller-Julie Miller
6-Credicone-Trond Smedshammer-Trond Smedshammer
7-Maxus-Yannick Gingras-Jimmy Takter
8-Perlucky-Jim Marohn Jr.-Trond Smedshammer
(USTA)