Queen Maxima returns to graded-winning form in Las Cienegas

Queen Maxima, a South African-bred mare by Bucchero out of Corfu Lady, sprinted to victory in the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes at Santa Anita on Jan. 11, 2026, giving trainer Jeff Mullins and jockey Juan Hernandez a decisive graded-score on the downhill turf course. The roughly 6 1/2-furlong test returned the mare to graded-winning form after a strong 2025 campaign and extended her résumé to five stakes wins and three graded stakes scores.

The race unfolded on Santa Anita’s unique left-handed downhill layout where speed and timing into the stretch are paramount. Queen Maxima handled the surface and configuration well, taking command in the lane to prevail against a compact field. Her breeding - Bucchero through the female line of Corfu Lady - continues to show its affinity for firm turf and sharp sprinting trips, an asset for connections planning a short-distance turf campaign.

Jeff Mullins has steered Queen Maxima through a program that emphasized turf sprints late in 2025, and the Las Cienegas result suggests that pattern will continue into the early 2026 stakes season. Juan Hernandez’s ride exploited the mare’s acceleration and experience around Santa Anita’s tricky downhill chute, turning tactical speed into a stakes return at the graded level.

For horsemen and handicappers, Queen Maxima’s victory is a useful barometer. Her reappearance in graded company confirms the form she showed last year and elevates her standing among winter-spring turf sprints in California. Breeders and owners will also note that a third graded stakes win strengthens her broodmare value and gives the owner group more flexibility when mapping spring targets or stallion plans.

Community members who follow Santa Anita’s winter meet should watch how Mullins places her next starts; continued appearances in graded turf sprints would make Queen Maxima a consistent short-course factor and a key horse to follow for local stable lists and exotics pools. Her success on the downhill course also underlines the value of experience around that specialty layout for older turf specialists.

Queen Maxima’s Las Cienegas victory not only adds another trophy to her stall but reshapes early-season sprint discussions at Santa Anita. Expect her name to figure prominently on future entries and in handicapping cards as the graded turf sprint division takes shape this spring.