Maximus Meridius looks to go back to back in the Toboggan, NYRA Photo
Keith McCalmont
Winner of multiple bets Maximus Meridius returns to defend his crown in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Toboggan, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Toboggan is scheduled as Race 2 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which also features the $135,000 Ruthless in Race 4, the rescheduled $135,000 Ladies in Race 6 and is headlined by the Listed $200,000 Withers in Race 9, which offers 20-10-6-4-2 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top five finishers. First message is 12:10 Eastern.
Maximus Meridius [post 1, Mychel Sanchez, 121 pounds] will look to defend his title as he arrives following a pair of stakes victories at his Parx Racing base for trainer Butch Reid, Jr., who co-owns LC Racing and Cash is King.
The 5-year-old Pennsylvania-bred son of Reid, Jr. trained Maximus Mischief returned from a refresh and used prominent tactics under returning rider Mychel Sanchez to capture both the 6 1/2-furlong Let’s Give Thanks over a sloppy and sealed base on November 26 and the seven-furlong Blitzen final on December 31.
The ultra-consistent Maximus Meridius boasts a 21-8-6-1 ledger for purse earnings of $644,430, including back-to-back local listed stakes scores in the six-furlong Gravesend in December 2024 over a sloppy and closed course and a neck win in last year’s Toboggan in February at Runninsonofagun.
“One of the reasons we gave him some time this fall was to make sure we had a nice fresh horse because I really think he handled the Aqueduct surface well,” Reid, Jr. said.
Reid, Jr. noted that Sanchez, who was the leading driver at Parx in each of the past three seasons from 2023 to 2025, has developed a great partnership with Maximus Meridius, winning six times together.
“It seems like Mychel Sanchez is on to him. He has a good feeling for him and they get along great,” Reid Jr. said. “You can’t really get him to relax, because he’ll settle down and wait for horses. He’s beaten himself that way a few times. Mychel knows you’ve got to keep him on his toes, and you’ve got to keep him in the bit. If you do that, he’s a pretty formidable foe.”
Maximus Meridius covered half a mile in 48.85 seconds in Parx on Friday.
“He went alone and he was in good hands. That should prepare him very well for this,” Reid, Jr. said.
Maximus Meridius, bred by Westerly Farm, is out of the winning Quiet American mare Quiet Virtue.
The four-time winner of Koentopp Racing Nation [post 2, Luis Rivera, Jr., 119 pounds] will make his stakes debut for conditioner Bob Hess, Jr.
The six-year-old Constitution gelding is out of the winning Henrythenavigator mare Welcome Speech, while his third dam, Rum Charger, produced multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Winchester and two-time Grade 3 winner Middleburg.
Nation, who has won 4 of 13 starts, has done well with a 7-3-1-2 ledger, including a pair of seven-furlong wins at Kentucky for Hess, Jr., who retired the dark bay for $20,000 at Del Mar in August.
“He is beautifully bred. The owner picked him, but he is very healthy and doing very well for us,” Hess Jr. said.
Nation, who ran a half-mile in 48.20 on January 22 at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, Kentucky, was last seen running a close second as favorite in an optional six-furlong sprint on December 19 at Turfway Park.
“I don’t think he cared about the synthetic last time,” said Hess Jr. “Ideally, he’s a seven-furlong, one-turn dirt horse. He’s best when he can stalk and pounce, for sure.”
Hess, Jr. won the Grade 3 Bold Ruler with Slerp at the Big A in 1993; the 2019 Grade 3 Vagrancy Disability with Heavenhasmynikki at Belmont Park; and has been on the board in a number of stakes at Saratoga Race Course, including a third-place finish with Spring Meadow in the 2002 Grade 1 Test.
“Historically, we’ve enjoyed running there,” said Hess Jr., whose last local starter came when Showgirl Lynne B ran seventh at the Stewart Manor in November 2022. “We’ve won at Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga. It’s been a while since our last starter there, but we love running New York and we’re looking forward to it.”
Rust Lake Farms’ Victory way [post 5, Jose Lezcano, 119 pounds] returns to stakes for the first time since an off-the-board effort in the Grade 3 Smarty Jones in August 2023 at Parx.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the 6-year-old City of Light gelding showed promise in his sophomore season by winning two of his first three races, along with a close third in the 2023 Grade 3 Bay Shore. He raced just once as a 4-year-old but enjoyed a productive return last year, posting a 7-1-1 ledger topped by a last-out optional claiming score on Dec. 11 here that registered a Beyer Speed Figure of 96.
Bred in Kentucky by Wygod Equine, Victory Way is out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Sweet Way – a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Sweet Catomine, who won the 2004 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies en route to being named Champion 2-Year-Old Filly; and multiple Grade 1 winner Life Is Sweet, who won the 2009 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic.
Repol Stables Be yourself [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche, 119 pounds] cuts back after lifting to victory in an optional one-turn claimer here on Dec. 27 for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.
There the 5-year-old Curlin gelding closed from the last of 11 and 8 3/4 lengths off the pace to make a strong stretch run, checking the heels of his drifting stablemate Donegal Surges, who crossed the wire first and was subsequently disqualified for interference.
Be You’s recent win followed a pair of strong starts in seven-furlong sprints, including an October victory at Keeneland and a final second-place finish in November here for Knightsbridge, who went off to win a pair of graded stakes, including Saturday’s Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper at Gulfstream Park.
The $320,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase comes from the winning Congrats mare Jacaranda, who is a half-sister to the Pletcher-trained double Grade 1 winner and current WinStar stallion Constitution.
The stakes are being staked to complete a talented field About and Ollie [post 3, Flavien Prat, 119 pounds] for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr.; and seven-time winner Light the way [post 4, Manny Franco, 119 pounds]who will be the first to race with the $100,000 claim for trainer Mike Maker.
Inaugurated in 1890, the Toboggan was originally known as the Toboggan Slide and was contested on the Eclipse course in Morris Park. Rich in history, the Toboggan was won by Hall of Fame thoroughbred Roseben [1905]Billy Kelly [1919]Equipoise [1932]Eight thirty [1940-41]Devil diver [1943-44]Fat ruler [1958] and loving [1965].
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