A daring mid-race move by Chad Schofield catapulted Maximus into the thick of Four-Year-Old Classic Series contention and this Sunday (24 January) at Sha Tin the striking chestnut is readying for a big-race upset in the first leg of the three-race series, the HK$12 million Hong Kong Classic Mile.
Grabbing second last-start with credit to Schofield’s mid-race initiative, the Ivawood colt laid out strong credentials for this season’s age-restricted competition after beating home fellow four-year-olds Lucky Express, Packing Waltham, Arthur’s Kingdom and The Summit, while six-year-old Circuit Three won the race, his fifth win in Hong Kong.
“We were caught a bit deep and the pace was slow, so I made the decision with 118 pounds on his back to roll forward and we nearly pinched it – he really kicked strongly on the turn and he gave me a good feel – I’m looking forward to riding him,” Schofield said.
The 83-rater is 20 points shy of Sky Darci’s standout mark in the race, having earned three rating points for his slashing second earlier this month after dipping two points across his first two starts.
“He’s still on the way up – he’s only had three runs in Hong Kong, he’s improving and coming along nicely, so I think he could be a good chance,” the 26-year-old said.
The Tony Millard-trainee was previously under the care of Jane Chapple-Hyam in Great Britain when known as Chares and, he was a four-time winner from four starts prior to export, including the Listed Criterium de Lyon (1600m) at Lyon Parilly in France.
