“He’s the poster boy for castration if there ever was one,” trainer Butch Reid joked regarding Maximus Meridius, a leading contender in Parx’s $75,000 Blitzen Stakes for 3-year-olds and upward traveling seven furlongs on New Year’s Eve.
Maximus Meridius was cross-entered in Saturday’s $150,000 Gravesend at Aqueduct. Frozen track conditions prevented training at Parx recently, and Reid was undecided as of Thursday morning where his horse would participate.
Maximus Meridius showed potential earlier in the year, placing in a pair of stakes in New York, but went off form. Reid gelded Maximus Meridius over the summer, and improvement was immediate.
Maximus Meridius placed in the Salvatore M. DeBunda Sprint at Parx on Aug. 24, then finished a troubled fourth in the Grade 2 Gallant Bob, a race won by subsequent Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up Bentornato. After a second-level allowance win on Oct. 15, Maximus Meridius ran second in the Steel Valley Sprint at Mahoning Valley on Nov. 25.
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“He’s a much more serious horse,” Reid continued. “We’re excited about his prospects for the upcoming year.”
Nelson Avenue blossomed after being claimed at Saratoga for $40,000 by trainer Wayne Potts. He won his first two for Potts, finished a close second in the Grade 3 Forty Niner, and then ran eighth in the Grade 2 Cigar Mile.
“I watched him train in the morning, and I thought there were some things we could improve on and fix and change,” Potts said. “He took right into the program.”
Potts said that Nelson Avenue bounced out of the Cigar in good form and expects jockey Jose Lezcano to be “aggressive” from the inside post.
Far Mo Power hasn’t started since the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on July 20. Still, the veteran has won off layoffs, including the Page McKenney Handicap over this course and distance in his seasonal debut.
“I hadn’t been able to train him for five days, and he unseated [jockey Dexter Haddock on Friday morning],” said trainer Louis Linder Jr. “He’s a smart old bird. He just ran up to somebody and got caught. After his gallop, he’s just full of himself.”
Linder believes Far Mo Power didn’t prosper during the hot summer months but seems to thrive in this cooler weather.
One More Scoop earned Beyer Speed Figures of 90 or greater in three of his last four. He placed second behind win machine Spikezone in the Let’s Give Thanks at 6 1/2 furlongs on Nov. 27.
Tudox Opportunity has won three of his last four dirt appearances, including last month’s restricted Chocolate Town at Penn National for trainer Elisha Perez.
Windsor Gold steps up in class after walloping five others when entered for the $50,000 claiming option.
Hard-knocking Veeson, Bump N Run, and Mastermind are also entered.
Kris Kringle
Repo Rocks cross-entered in Sunday’s $150,000 Queens County at Aqueduct, but trainer Jamie Ness said the Grade 3 winner will remain at Parx to run in the $75,000 Kris Kringle for 3-year-olds and upward at 1 1/16 miles.
“We missed a bunch of training,” Ness said. “I think we’re just going to the local race this time.”
A 10-time winner with earnings nearing $1 million, Repo Rocks finished seventh in the Cigar.
“He went into the turn laying second, which we liked, and came out second to last,” Ness mentioned. “He just didn’t get out of the turns very well on the inside.”
Linder entered Concealed Carry but cautioned he might scratch if the track is very wet. The winner of the M.P. Ballezzi Appreciation Mile on Oct. 19, Concealed Carry next ran second in the Turkey Trot.
Irish Cork lost jockey Frankie Pennington at the start of the Turkey Trot. Previously a close third in the Ballezzi, Irish Cork has hit the board in 28 of 44 starts.
Since being claimed for $30,000 by trainer Panagiotis Synnefias, Surface to Air has won four of five dirt starts.
Offaly Cool could be the key to the race. A stakes winner in 2023, Offaly Cool only started once this year, winning a high-level allowance at Parx on Jan. 30 for trainer Jacinto Solis. He shows several bullet workouts.
Speedy Movistor, Market Maven, and Lonesome Boy are also entered.
Deposition will likely scratch, per trainer Uriah St. Lewis.
◗ Trainer John Servis might have the one to beat in Irish Maxima in the $75,000 Mrs. Claus for fillies and mares at seven furlongs. A stakes winner at Laurel three starts back, Irish Maxima earned a 92 Beyer when second in the Cheryl S. White Memorial at Mahoning Valley on Nov. 25. Other contenders include Disco Ebo, Cap Classique, Confirmed Star, and Rachel’s Rock.
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