Maximum Security

The 49th annual Runhappy Eclipse Awards will be held Thursday night at Gulfstream Park, with the award show itself beginning at 7:00 p.m. Up for Horse of the Year consideration are Bricks and Mortar (Giant's Causeway), who capped a perfect six-for-six season with a win in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf; Maximum Security (New Year's Day), who annexed the GI Xpressbet Florida Derby before being DQ'd from first to 17th in the GI Kentucky Derby and adding three more graded wins, including two at the highest level, to complete...

The Breeders' Cup-commissioned investigation into the death of Mongolian Groom (Hightail) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic was among the main subjects tackled this week in the TDN Writers' Room podcast, and the crew questioned whether or not the horse should have been scratched. Click here to listen.  The report revealed that examining veterinarians determined during pre-race examinations that Mongolian Groom was "stiff" and "choppy" behind, the reasons why he among 73 Breeders' Cup entrants put on a "watch list" and was one of 24 horses selected for "extra scrutiny"...

The inaugural US$29.2-million Saudi Cup program, to be held at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in the capital of Riyadh Saturday, Feb. 29, has attracted 964 entries from connections of horses from all corners of the globe. The meeting's centerpiece is the $20-million Saudi Cup at 1800 meters on dirt and attracted over 140 nominations from 60 different trainers from four continents, representing 16 countries. The world's richest horse race has entries from Argentina, Bahrain, Japan, Korea, Poland and Turkey, but American runners figure to take all the beating. Midnight Bisou (Midnight...

The finalists for the 12 equine and five human divisions for the 49th annual Eclipse Awards were released Saturday morning, with GI Breeders' Cup Turf hero Bricks and Mortar (Giant's Causeway), GI Breeders' Cup Sprint victor Mitole (Eskendereya) and, in a bit of an upset, Maximum Security (New Year's Day) set to fight out the night's top honor as 2019 Horse of the Year. Heavily favored to take home the hardware for champion turf male, Bricks and Mortar was stellar in putting together a perfect six-for-six season in 2019. The...

On New Year's Day, David Grening broke the news in the Daily Racing Form that Coolmore had purchased a 50% interest in the racing and breeding rights of Gary and Mary West's homebred Maximum Security (New Year's Day). (Disclosure: The Wests and their racing manager, Ben Glass, are retained clients of WTC, Inc.). The colt is to stand at Coolmore America (Ashford Stud) in Kentucky at the end of his career, but he is scheduled to race this year and has some major targets on his slate, including the new...

A half-interest in likely champion 3-year-old male Maximum Security (New Year's Day) has been purchased by Coolmore, according to the colt's owner, Gary West. The story was first reported by Daily Racing Form. West responded to the TDN with a text that read, "I can confirm that Coolmore has purchased a half-interest in both the racing and breeding rights of Maximum Security. There will be no other announcements until Maximum Security is retired." According to Coolmore, there will be no announcement on the part of the farm. According to Dave...

Gary and Mary West's Maximum Security (New Year's Day), last-out winner of the TVG.com Haskell Invitational S. at Monmouth Park July 20, breezed a leisurely half-mile in :54 flat Wednesday morning as he works toward a yet-to-be determined next start which could come in either the GI Runhappy Travers S. at Saratoga Aug. 24 or in the GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Sept. 21. "I just want to make sure he is 100%," trainer Jason Servis told the Monmouth press office. "He's still not there yet." Servis said a decision...

Maximum Security (New Year's Day) faces a speed-laden field of six foes as he looks to bounce back in Saturday's GI TVG.com Haskell Invitational S. at Monmouth Park, which carries a "Win and You're In" berth to this year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic. The saga the Gary and Mary West homebred has been embroiled in is well documented--a controversial DQ from first to 17th in the GI Kentucky Derby led to plenty of debate, and litigation, and the GI Xpressbet Florida Derby winner skipped the next two legs of the...