Queen Maxima was patient for both the start and the pace in the G3 Unbridled Sidney. (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
Maribeth Kalinich
As severe storms caused a rain delay, the Grade 3 $400,000 Unbridled Sidney presented by Cygames went off late at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Oaks undercard. It would be Dutch Girl Holding and Irving Ventures’ Queen Maxima who would rule the damp turf for the victory.
Under Juan Hernandez for trainer Jeff Mullins, Queen Maxima chased a fast pace of dueling rivals Epona’s Hope and Ag Bullet. Hernandez swung his filly wide coming into the stretch and she drew away for a 3-1/2 length victory.
The chestnut filly set a track record for 5-1/2 furlongs with a final time of 1:01.29. Fractions were :21.76, :44.48 and :55.49.
Queen Maxima rewarded with $6.28 with second-place Crown Imperial sharing $13.16 in treasure and Epona’s Hope up for third paying $4.68.
Bling, Cloudwalker, Gavea (GER), Ag Bullet, Asternia and Awesome Treat complete the order of finish.
Luego de su gran victoria con QUEEN MÁXIMA en el The Unbridled Sidney S G3, el jockey JUAN JOSÉ HERNÁNDEZ @JJHernandezS19 comparte con Carlos Morales más detalles sobre esta carrera, previo al Kentucky Oaks 2025 pic.twitter.com/IMLvNszOeG
— Agentes305 (@agentes305) May 2, 2025
The Florida-bred daughter of Bucchero is out of Corfu mare Corfu Lady.
With a perfect three-for-three record this year, Queen Maxima mow has five victories in eight starts with two seconds all run on the West Coast at Santa Anita and Del Mar.
Unbridled Sidney Quotes
Juan Hernandez (Jockey, Queen Maxima, winner) – “I just like to let her run where she’s comfortable to be. The inside horses were way faster than me. It was a really smooth ride. She was traveling beautifully. At the quarter pole, I switched my stick, and she took off again.”
Jeff Mullins (Trainer, Queen Maxima, winner) – “She’s a good filly. We knew that right from the start; her first race at Del Mar she came running on and won. She’s been winning races ever since. Out on the race track she’s a tiger. Back at the barn she’s a princess. She’s special.”
