Cup of Delight for top owner
PROMINENT Tasmanian harness owner Mick Maxfield’s decision to pay a record amount for a yearling four years ago paid big dividends in Victoria on Saturday night when his classy Max Delight scored a brilliant win in the Group 1 $300,000 Victoria Cup at Bendigo.
Max Delight belied his starting price of $17 by rattling home along the sprint lane to land the prize and give Maxfield, who was unable to attend the meeting because of Covid travel restrictions, his greatest thrill in racing.
“This horse has been wonderful to us and has pretty much travelled under the radar most of his racing life.” he said.
“When you get involved in horses you can’t help but dream of getting one who can win at Group 1 level, and I am blessed to own this one.
“Some people thought I was crazy to pay a record $245,000 for him at the Sydney APC yearling sale four years ago, but he’s turned out to be a pretty good investment.”
Max Delight has started 48 times for 21 wins and nine minor placings for $666,000 and maybe his best is still ahead of him.
Max Design enjoyed the run of the race after firing out of the gates to lead before driver Chris Alford handed up to equal favourite Amazing Dream to take the sit.
Alford was in two minds at the top of the straight as to which run to take and thankfully for connections, he opted to take the sprint lane along which the horse powered home to
defeat Triple Eight with King of Swing, the other equal favourite, finishing third ahead of Amazing Dream.
Max Delight had an interrupted preparation due to a foot abscess that forced trainer David Aiken to scratch the five-year-old from The Smoken Up Sprint the previous week, which was pencilled in as his main lead-up to the Victoria Cup.
But the hiccup in his preparation may have been a blessing in disguise.
“David (Aikin) was concerned the foot abscess might leave the horse underdone but after his trackwork last Wednesday he said the horse was spot on,” Maxfield said.
Max Delight had been campaigning in Sydney where he won two free-for-alls before returning to Victoria early last month. He began his
career with Aiken in NSW, but the majority of his outings have been in Victoria, with his three starts in Tasmania resulting in wins in the Golden Slipper and a heat of the Breeder Crown series as a two-yearold and a resounding victory in the 2019 Tasmanian Derby at Elwick the following season.
PREMIER Tasmanian trainer Ben Yole is no stranger to training multiple
winners and on Friday night in Hobart he was at it again, preparing five winners on the seven-event card. Towy McDonald and Conor Crook each partnered two of Yole’s winners while Jordan Chibnall chimed in with a great front-running drive to win aboard Cinocal Jamane who won by almost 35m.