Wednesday, 24th April 2024
All enquiries - Gary Knowles 0406 599 773
Never one to second guess his instinct, the mid-race heroics by Chad Schofield on 4YO Ivawood colt Maximus to defy all but 6YO Circuit Prince in the recent Class 2 Hcp on New Year's Day has surged him into contention for the upcoming 4YO Classic Series. The lucrative three race series commences this Sunday at Sha Tin with the running of the HK$12 million Hong Kong Classic Mile. As racingnews.hkjc.com reports, Maximus now shares top billing with rival 4YOs Lucky Express, Arthur's Kingdom, Packing Waltham and The Summit, with Schofield heaping praise on the 83-rater Maximus, "We were caught a bit deep [in the Class 2] and the pace was slow, so I made the decision with 118 pounds on his back to roll forward and we nearly pinched it – he really kicked strongly on the turn and he gave me a good feel – I'm looking forward to riding him." Schofield added, "He's still on the way up – he's only had three runs in Hong Kong, he's improving and coming along nicely, so I think he could be a good chance." Maximus was previously prepared by Jane Chapple-Hyam in Great Britain (racing as Chares) where he saluted 4 times and reached a peak performance of Listed level in France. Schofield noted, "I think he could be (among the best local four-year-olds), although he had a weight advantage on horses like Lucky Express last time." The series moves from Saturday's Classic Mile to the HK$12 million Classic Cup (1800m) on Feb 21 and rounds out with the HK$24 million Hong Kong Derby on March 21.
