Maximus Meridius prevails in the Toboggan (Janet Napolitano)
Keith McCalmont/NYRA Press Office
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The pacesetting Maximus Meridius added to a good day for Parx Racing-based shippers at the Big A, turning back Runninsonofagun to score a neck win in Saturday’s Listed $175,000 Toboggan, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained and co-owned by Butch Reid, Jr. with LC Racing and Cash is King, the 4-year-old Maximus Mischief bay has turned a corner after being gelded last summer and has since posted a 6-3-2-0 record dating to a runner-up effort in the Salvatore M. DeBunda Sprint in August at Parx.
“This is a horse that early in his career, he would kind of make the lead and hang, but now horses are coming to him and he’s fighting them off and he has matured and come a long way,” Reid, Jr. said. “I think it’s maturity, and the ultimate equipment change [gelding] has helped him a lot.
“He’s turned into a completely different racehorse,” Reid, Jr. added. “He acted so stoic in the paddock pre-race and post-race, so he’s a different horse now than he was.”
In victory, Maximus Meridius doubled up on local stakes wins, entering from a similarly game prominent effort when taking the six-furlong Listed Gravesend on a sloppy and sealed main track over returning rivals Full Moon Madness and Runninsonofagun. The result added to a stellar day for shippers from the Keystone State with the Louis Linder, Jr.-trained Volleyballprincess and Ourdaydreaminggirl running 1-2 in the $125,000 Ruthless earlier in the card.
Maximus Meridius broke alertly from the inside post under Mychel Sanchez and marked the opening quarter-mile in 22.95 seconds over the fast main track with Nelson Avenue pressing to his outside in front of a stalking trio of Full Moon Madness – who broke a step slow – Runninsonofagun and Coastal Mission.
Maximus Meridius maintained his lead into the turn as Ruben Silvera gave Runninsonofagun his cue with Coastal Mission following that run and Full Moon Madness advancing up the rail.
The pacesetter spun the field into the lane through a half-mile in 45.90 with Runninsonofagun ramping up the pressure to his outside and Full Moon Madness cutting the corner with purpose. Runninsonofagun, winner of the Grade 3 Bold Ruler here in 2022 and 2024, loomed large inside the final sixteenth but drifted out when it mattered most as Maximus Meridius maintained his straight course to score in a final time of 1:23.36.
Are you not entertained?! MAXIMUS MERIDIUS conquers the Toboggan Stakes at 6-1 with a commanding ride from @SanchezMychel for trainer Robert Reid. pic.twitter.com/MqucGGYO3O
— NYRA () (@TheNYRA) February 1, 2025
“It was beautiful,” Sanchez said. “He won last time [nearly] wire-to-wire, he ran really good on the sloppy track but today we didn’t have a sloppy track. Being in the one-hole, it was simple, if he breaks good, just take the lead and go on from there, but make sure to save enough because today we were going seven-eighths.
“I tell you what, he broke like a rocket,” Sanchez added. “I didn’t even have to use him, which helped me to finish up. I waited, waited, waited, he likes the competition to come to me, so I didn’t want to open up too early. I just wait, wait, wait, then when they got next to me, it took him a little while to switch leads, but once he switched leads, he went on again with a good fight. He is a good fighter for sure.”
Silvera said the John Toscano, Jr.-trained Runninsonofagun tired late in the lane.
“I tried to break good and get good position. I waited for the stretch, but he was tired in the last hundred meters,” Silvera said. “I tried hard to win the race, but that horse [Maximus Meridius] was coming back. He beat me to the wire.
“I tried to be separate,” Silvera added of the distance between the two rivals. “Whenever I put him closer to that horse, he [Maximus Meridius] kept coming on again for the fight.”
It was 2 1/2-lengths back to Full Moon Madness in third with recent Grade 3 Forty Niner-winner Coastal Mission, Castle Chaos and Nelson Avenue rounding out the order of finish. Gun It was scratched.
Reid, Jr. indicated that Maximus Meridius could return to the Big A for the six-furlong Grade 3, $175,000 Tom Fool on March 1, but may prefer to try something longer – Aqueduct does host the $150,000 Listed Stymie at a one-turn mile on the same card.
“That’s a possibility. We haven’t really looked beyond this spot. We had these two races [the Listed Gravesend and Toboggan] in mind and it worked out perfectly,” Reid, Jr. said. “I was kind of thinking a one-turn mile somewhere might not be a bad idea either, especially the way he ran today. We’ll take him back, go over him good and make our decision from there.”
Bred in Pennsylvania by Westerly Farm, Maximus Meridius banked $96,250 in victory while improving his record to 14-5-4-1. He returned $14.80 for a $2 win bet.
Live racing resumes Sunday at the Big A with an eight-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
