Trained by Jeremiah Englehart, the Maxveld The gelding removed the blinders to graduate in fourth place early in a one-turn mile maiden versus fellow state breds at Aqueduct on December 5. There the dark bay dueled for the lead Maximum money before putting that rival away and opening for a 7 1/4 length victory in a final time of 1:37.46.
“We are really looking forward to the Withers,” Baxter said. “In his last race, Jeremiah took off his blinders and rode very nicely and relaxed at the back. He finished with great interest and eventually won easily.
“He has matured quite a bit in his racing style and that is what makes us optimistic for the future,” Baxter added. “Jeremiah has always felt that he is looking forward to longer distances and he certainly showed that last time.”
The result was flattering when he finished second Royal riddle returned to win in a state-bred maiden sprint on January 3.
Fourth and One flew half a mile in: 48.11 seconds on January 17 over the Belmont Park dirt training track in his fifth work since his impressive first score.
“He is athletic, maturing and seems to get bigger every time I see him. Physically he looks quite similar to his stallion,” Baxter said. “Jeremiah has done a great job with our horse. He was a strong personality when he first arrived in New York and Jeremiah has turned a raw talent into a potentially serious racehorse.”
Fourth and One, bred in the Empire State by Chesapeake Farm, Rockridge Stud, Tamie Semler and John McConnell, was purchased for $240,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February Mixed Sale. From the Gold Medal mare Injured Fourth and One were then RNAd for $95,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
“This particular horse was purchased as a small yearling with the thought that we were going to pinhook him. Some part of the pinhooking partnership was broken off to get this horse to the races. Sometimes more luck than good,” Baxter said with a laugh.
Fourth and one in the winner’s circle at Aqueduct Racetrack
The 63-year-old Baxter, a retired oral surgeon based in Michigan, is thriving in his second career and oversees a number of blood bank interests.
“This is the first horse for this partnership,” Baxter said. “There are nine of us – all people from Western Michigan who joined me in a pinhooking partnership and from that came a number of other partnerships, including this racehorse partnership. Most of what we had done previously was pinhooking youngsters to yearlings and now we have several broodmares in partnership in Lexington.”
Baxter, who grew up showing horses, said he caught the racing bug when Secretariat won the 1973 Kentucky Derby. He was previously involved in horses through the Team Valor syndicate, including a small stake in the stakes winner First premium who won an optional claim tilt at Churchill Downs on the 2021 Kentucky Derby undercard.
There is also dual commitment among the partnerships managed by Baxter First Division a 4 year old Omaha Beach colt trained by Kenny McPeek and owned by Baxter with Deann Baer and Brett Logan.
“We have bits and pieces of a number of horses with the guys at Legion Bloodstock, and they have had tremendous early success with Drexel Hill in the (Kentucky) Oaks and some promising two-year-olds,” he added. “They’re great riders and great people, so it’s fun to do collaborative activities with them.”
Baxter noted that he has taken a particular interest in the New York-developed program because he wants to identify potential sales prospects.
“The purse structure of the state-bred program and the stakes races available to Fourth and One in the future are a huge incentive,” Baxter said. “I’ve now enjoyed coming to New York for three of his races and if he continues to race in the stakes races at the new Belmont when it opens, that would be an exciting draw for us as well. We’ve heard nothing but good things about the new facility and Jeremiah, the last time I spoke to him, was very excited about it and thinks people will enjoy going racing there. It’s a state-of-the-art facility.”
Fourth and One’s partners include Danny Brown, a football coach at South Christian High School in Byron Center, Michigan, who was recently named Coach of the Year by the West Michigan Officials Association and helped inspire the promising horse’s name.
“When we discussed him joining the partnership, I let him know that you have to be mindful of the money you put in… I wouldn’t want him to regret it,” Baxter recalls. “I said to him, ‘Do you ever regret choosing to go fourth-and-1?’ And he said, ‘Never, we always go.’
“This is his first racehorse, and he gets excited about it the way a football coach would get excited about it, so it was fun for him and his family to be involved in naming the horse,” Baxter added.
Baxter admitted to dreaming of a return to the Churchill Downs winner’s circle on Derby Day and said the partners are certainly looking forward to seeing if Fourth and One can convert his next opportunity into Derby points.
“Derby fever is real, and this race will be a great benchmark to find out what type of horse we really have,” said Baxter, who watched the Fourth and One race live, in addition to his winning effort.
The only question remaining is whether the partners will allow Baxter to attend the Withers in person.
“My partners have said, ‘He comes second and third when you’re there and wins when you’re not there, so maybe we should let you stay home,’” Baxter said with a laugh.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
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