Maxfield  gained the 2019 Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland in his second begin for proprietor/breeder Godolphin and coach Brendan Walsh and headed west as one of many favorites for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita Park.
However he was scratched from the race and underwent surgical procedure for an ankle chip a few weeks later, costing himself a championship alternative.
5 years later, it is likely to be time for a California do-over for these similar connections—they’ve one other gifted colt in East Avenue , who scored a front-running victory within the $594,063 Breeders’ Futurity Oct. 5 at Keeneland, bettering to 2-for-2 after an preliminary maiden win in Kentucky.
Although these components are the identical, how East Avenue gained was completely different. Whereas Maxfield scored from off the tempo, East Avenue busted out to the result in safe place in Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile race, shed rivals in a tough run to the primary flip, and cruised dwelling as a 5 1/4-length winner over favored Ferocious .
The drama would come after the race, when Luis Saez, rider of Ferocious, claimed foul in opposition to East Avenue, alleging interference into the primary flip as a number of runners tried to safe place. Stewards by no means posted the inquiry signal however reviewed replays for over 5 minutes following the objection. They made no change to the order of end.
“He was a lot the perfect. It could have been theft if he had been taken down,” stated successful coach Brendan Walsh, including that he believed it was Optical , who was later outrun, that made early contact with Ferocious.
Saez disagreed, saying East Avenue, beneath Tyler Gaffalione, “got here down and bumped us fairly laborious.”
It was fairly an eventful jiffy for Ferocious, the Hopeful Stakes (G1) runner-up, who reared within the beginning gate, unseating Saez. He was backed out from the inside publish place of the beginning gate, examined by a observe veterinarian, and reloaded. After being shuttled again approaching the primary flip, he stalked the tempo inside, taking filth in his face earlier than grabbing second.
Filoso was a well-beaten third.
The Breeders’ Futurity was a part of a rewarding afternoon for Gaffalione, who a half hour later piloted Carl Spackler to a front-running victory within the $1,065,625 Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes (G1T).
East Avenue raced 1 1/16 miles on a quick observe in 1:43.17 after setting splits of :23.18, :46.76, and 1:11.20. He paid $7.56 to win because the second favourite.
“I had loads of horse left,” Gaffalione stated.
The Breeders’ Futurity capped a profitable opening two days of racing at Keeneland for the Godolphin, who gained the Alcibiades Stakes (G1) a day earlier than with the Brad Cox-trained Immersive .
“An unbelievable weekend, successful the 2 grade 1s at Keeneland, our dwelling observe,” Godolphin USA director of bloodstock Michael Banahan stated.Â
Godolphin’s Darley stallion division is in Central Kentucky. Maxfield stands at stud there, as does the Cox-trained Important High quality  , who gave Godolphin a second Breeders’ Futurity victory in 2020. So, too, does East Avenue’s sire, 25-year-old Medaglia d’Oro  , the sire of 27 grade 1 winners. The latter stood for $75,000 this previous breeding season.
East Avenue is out of the Ghostzapper  mare Dance Music , a half sister to Godolphin’s 2023 Horse of the 12 months and Darley stallion Cody’s Want  .
As a part of the Breeders’ Cup Problem Sequence: Win and You are In, East Avenue earned a paid, automated berth within the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar. The highest 5 finishers from the Breeders’ Futurity additionally earned 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) factors on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale.
Six Breeders’ Futurity winners have repeated within the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile: Tasso (1985), Boston Harbor (1996), Favourite Trick (1997), Traditional Empire (2016), Important High quality (2020), and Forte  (2022).Â
