By Sean Cronin
Godolphin's£720,000 Goffs UK Breeze-Up graduate Maximized (Mehmas) delivered a TDN Rising Star display in his debut over six furlongs at Haydock last month and, burdened with a five-pound penalty for that initial victory, doubled his tally with a dominant performance in Friday's former stakes-level Betfred British EBF Woodcote Stakes at Epsom.
The Cheveley Park Stud-bred lined up as the 6-5 favourite and was swiftly into stride to track the leaders in a share of third through the early fractions. Rowed along to gain an edge passing the quarter-mile marker, he was not for catching thereafter and kept on strongly under continued urging in the closing stages to defeat Havana Hurricane (Havana Gold) by an ultimately comfortable 1 1/2 lengths.
“He skipped along the surface when he won at Haydock first time, but it's good-to-soft here and the ground is quite testing out there today,” commented Charlie Appleby. “The [Royal] Ascot picture is building now and if we go there it'll probably be the [G2] Coventry. If we skip that, I think the [G2] July Stakes [at Newmarket] will be a nice race for him.”
Maximized is the latest of five foals and one of two scorers produced by a daughter of G1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Hooray (Invincible Spirit), herself a out of Listed Star Stakes winner Hypnotize (Machiavellian). Hypnotize, who is a half-sister to Group 2-winning G1 1000 Guineas third Dazzle (Gone West), also threw Listed Criterium de l'Ouest victor Hypnotic (Lomitas) and Listed Two-Year-Old Trophy third Mazyoun (Mayson). The April-foaled bay is a half to Listed Cathedral Stakes victrix and G3 Ballyogan Stakes runner-up Benefit (Acclamation).
£720,000 buy Maximized makes it two from two in the @Betfred @BritishEBF Woodcote Stakes for William Buick, Charlie Appleby and Godolphin @EpsomRacecourse pic.twitter.com/QkOkbdbiN6
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 6, 2025
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