Queen Maxima stays perfect on Santa Anita hill with Mizdirection win

Queen Maxima turned a quick turnaround into a smart gamble for Jeff Mullins, winning the Mizdirection Stakes at Santa Anita just 15 days after a flat fourth in the Grade 3 Unbridled Sidney at Churchill Downs. Sent off as the 6-5 favorite, the 5-year-old Bucchero mare stayed glued to the pace over 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf and finished the job, holding off Spirited Boss by three-quarters of a length in 1:13.27.

That is the part bettors should remember. Mullins did not wait for the market to forgive the Churchill Downs miss. He wheeled her right back to the course that has become her private playground, and Queen Maxima answered with another stakes trophy. She is now 5-for-5 on Santa Anita’s hill, with all five starts there in the money and all three of her hill victories coming in stakes company. For a mare who had already shown she belonged when she won the Grade 3 Las Cienegas in January, this was less surprise than confirmation.

The race developed honestly from the break, with fractions of :22.16, :44.70 and 1:07.21 forcing a demanding finish. Queen Maxima handled it anyway, and Spirited Boss, who had upset the Grade 3 Monrovia at Santa Anita on April 4 at 18-1, again gave the division a live alternative before settling for second. Certitude finished another two lengths back in third. The exacta paid $5 for $1, and Queen Maxima returned $4.40 to win.

The win pushed Queen Maxima’s record to 9 wins from 15 starts, with 2 seconds and 1 third, and lifted her earnings well past $720,000. More important than the numbers is what they say about her profile: she is not just good, she is highly course-dependent in the best possible way. On Santa Anita’s downhill layout, she is a specialist with a repeatable edge, and that makes her dangerous whenever Mullins spots the right spot.

Mullins and Juan Hernandez have made a habit of squeezing the best out of her. After the Las Cienegas, Mullins called her “something else” and “a once in a lifetime horse,” while Hernandez said she was “really professional” and “knows where the wire is at.” Saturday’s result backed up both assessments. Bred in Florida by Saul Rosas, owned by Dutch Girl Holdings LLC and Irving Ventures LLC of San Diego, Queen Maxima now looks like a mare bettors can trust even when the schedule gets tight, as long as the hill is part of the equation.