Danner-trained Baby Max takes Leonatus

Jan 19, 2025 Jennie Rees No Comments

Turfway Park stakes recap and advance by publicist Kevin Kerstein (Coady Media photo of Baby Max winning the Leonatus Stakes under Abel Cedillo)

FLORENCE, Ky. (Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025) – J S Stables‘ improving 3-year-old colt Baby Max scored his first career stakes victory on Saturday, kicking clear by an emphatic 2 ½ lengths to win the 35^th running of the $125,000 Leonatus Stakes at Turfway Park Racing & Gaming.

Trained by Kelsey Danner and ridden by Abel Cedillo, Baby Max covered the one-mile distance in 1:40.11 while earning a career-best 86 Brisnet Speed Rating.

The Leonatus began with longshot Shan hustling to the lead, setting an opening quarter-mile in :24.88 and maintaining an unchallenged advantage through a half-mile in :50.01. Baby Max tracked his every move while in third and began to make his run at the longshot leader entering the far turn. At the top of the lane, Baby Max collared Shan and began to draw clear in mid-stretch.

Inside the eighth pole, Baby Max kept his clear advantage while Chunk of Gold, who was last early, stormed home late to finish second over a tiring Shan. They were followed in order by Church and State, Up to No Good, Hard as Life, Banks and Can’t Deny It.

At odds of 5-1, Baby Max rewarded his backers by paying $2 mutuel returns of $13.08, $5.78 and $3.58.

The victory improved Baby Max’s record to 4-2-1-0 with earnings of $147,151. Baby Max is a 3-year-old son of Maximus Mischief out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Lemon Gal. He was bred in Kentucky by Westbrook Stables.

The Leonatus Stakes serves as a local steppingstone to the $150,000 John Battaglia Memorial, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 22, as part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby prep season.

Racing resumes at Turfway Park on Wednesday with a first post of 5:55 p.m. For more information, visitturfway.com.

AWESOME TREAT LEADS OVER-SUBSCRIBED FIELD OF 14 IN $125,000 WISHING WELL STAKES –Kumud and Rakesh Sikand’s Holiday Inaugural winner Awesome Treat leads an oversubscribed field of 12 fillies and mares, plus two also-eligibles, that entered in Saturday’s $125,000 Wishing Well Stakes at Turfway Park Racing & Gaming.

The Wishing Well, run at 6 ½ furlongs, is scheduled as Race 6 of 10 with a post time of 8:25 p.m. (all times Eastern) First post is 5:55 p.m.

Awesome Treat, a 7-year-old daughter of Awesome Patriot, delivered a 2 ¾ -length victory in the Dec. 14 Holiday Inaugural Stakes as part of Turfway Park’s Synthetic Championships. Trained by Justin Wojczynski, Awesome Treat has six career wins from 29 starts, including a victory in the Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf Sprint in August at Ellis Park. Sophie Doyle has the return call aboard Awesome Treat, who drew post No. 10.

Among her challengers is Nice as Pie, the beaten favorite in the Holiday Inaugural who finished three lengths back in third. Owned and bred by Dede McGehee and trained by Kelsey Danner, the 4-year-old Nice as Pie was dominant at Turfway last year, winning the Serena’s Song and Valdale Stakes. She will race without blinkers on Saturday and reunites with jockey Adam Beschizza, breaking from post 3.

Wishing Well field from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):