Maximum Security Fine after Florida Derby Win

[Wandering Eyes]

Gary and Mary West’s Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) exited his victory in Saturday’s GI Xpressbet.com Florida Derby in fine shape, according to trainer Jason Servis. Servis gave jockey Luis Saez plenty of credit for Maximum Security’s front-running victory.

“Luis walked the dog,” Servis said. “He backed them up. I have to give him credit. I think it had a lot to do with it. I’m not downgrading the horse, but Luis did a great job.”

Servis plans to continue to campaign his stable at Gulfstream through April while preparing Maximum Security at Palm Meadows for a possible start in the May 4 GI Kentucky Derby.

Maximum Security began his career with a 9 3/4-length romp in a $16,000 maiden claiming race at Gulfstream Dec. 20 before capturing back-to-back starter optional claiming allowance races by a combined 24 3/4 lengths

“Candidly, if you read between the lines, there had to be a reason why I ran him for $16,000. Am I glad I didn’t lose him? Hell, yeah,” Servis said. “Is he training good and sound? Yes. But there was a reason why I ran him for $16,000.”

Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}), who raced well off the slow pace during the early going of the Florida Derby before closing to finish third, also came out of the race well, said trainer Shug McGaughey.

“I thought he ran fine,” McGaughey said. “That’s not the type of race he needs, with one horse on the lead and everybody taking back. We were kind of in between horses. He had half a racetrack on him. I thought it was pretty game what he did considering the circumstances.”

Plans for Code of Honor are still pending, but trainer Mark Hennig is hopeful Florida Derby fourth-place finisher Bourbon War (Tapit) has accrued enough points to get to the big dance in Louisville.

“He’s doing great,” Hennig said of Bourbon War, who trailed all but two horses through a half-mile while racing wide and passed horses late to wind up beaten 7 1/2 lengths, three-quarters of a length behind Code of Honor in third. “I don’t think there’s any doubt [the pace] had a large impact on us at least not being third, for sure. I’m not saying we were going to win the race or anything, but I’d like to think with a little pace we could have been a little closer. And a little better trip, too, [instead of] having to go around the whole way. If you look at his trip versus Code of Honor’s, I think that made a big difference.”

Looking ahead, Hennig added, “We’d love to be able to get into the Kentucky Derby on points. If we [have enough] points, we’d be confident going forward because he’s a horse you’d like to think leaving here would be good for him to get off a track where it’s hard to close. Right now we don’t know what that status is. It doesn’t look great, but we’re just going to stand pat and watch how the races run next weekend in the GI Santa Anita Derby, GII Blue Grass and GII Wood Memorial and see where the points stand after that. I think it’ll help indicate to us a little more about where we are.”

Bourbon War currently sits 15th on the Derby points board with 31 points.

View the full article