by Ken Weingartner, USTA Media Relations Manager

Ken Weingartner

Hightstown, NJ — Maxus did no work to advance to Saturday’s (May 5) $133,800 Dexter Cup final for 3-year-old trotters at Freehold Raceway, but the field’s top money-earner might need to work a little bit extra to advance to the winner’s circle this weekend.

One of three horses to skip last weekend’s Dexter Cup elimination thanks to a bye based on career earnings, Maxus drew post No. 7 for the final, which is the season’s first stakes race on the road to August’s $1.2 million Hambletonian. Only one starting position, post eight, has produced fewer winners than post seven at Freehold’s half-mile oval.

Vic’s Winner, who won the eight-horse Dexter Cup elimination by a neck over On The Ropes in 1:57, will start from post No. 3. On The Ropes drew post one.

Post one leads Freehold with a 22.5-percent win rate while post three is 15.4 percent and post seven is 5.2 percent.

“You know how it is,” said Jimmy Takter, who trains Maxus, “when you’re racing on a half-mile track you want to see a decent post.”

New Image Media photo

Maxus won three of 11 races last year and earned $162,836.

Maxus, who is eligible to the Hambletonian and will be making his seasonal debut in the Dexter Cup, won three of 11 races last year and earned $162,836 for owners Brixton Medical Inc. and Christina Takter. Yannick Gingras will drive the colt in the Dexter Cup.

A son of Muscle Hill out of Gerri’s Joy, Maxus’ wins last season included a division of the Bluegrass Stakes and elimination for the William Wellwood Memorial, where he finished third in the final. He also earned checks in the Peter Haughton Memorial and Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship.

“He was a pretty solid horse last year,” Takter said. “He’s a pretty gutsy horse. He was always there last year. He raced most of the dances. He just needs a little luck.

“He could be (a horse for the Hambletonian). He needs to develop a little bit, but it’s a long time until August.”

Joining Maxus in receiving byes for the Dexter Cup were Julie Miller-trained Don and Trond Smedshammer-trained Perlucky, who both were winners on the New York Sire Stakes circuit last year.

Vic’s Winner heads to the final with four wins in his past five starts dating to last year. This season, the Joie De Vie Farm and Winbak Farm-owned colt has won two of three races. George Brennan, who guided Vic’s Winner to victory in the elimination, will be back to drive the horse in the final.

“He was very good,” trainer Hermann Heitmann said about Vic’s Winner in the elimination. “He showed good gate speed, he came right out, and George drove him just perfect.

“I’m very lucky with the No. 3 (post). I’m very happy with that. Everybody will be going for position, we have to make sure we get a good trip out of it. But everything has worked out perfect so far.”

First race post time is 12:30 p.m. (EDT) Saturday, with the Dexter Cup carded as race 10. Two races prior to the Dexter Cup, the $66,400 Lady Suffolk for 3-year-old female trotters will be contested.

Following is the field for the Dexter Cup. Vic’s Winner, Thrust Control, Don, and Maxus are eligible to the Hambletonian.

PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer
1-On The Ropes-Dan Dube-Ake Svanstedt
2-Lindy’s Big Bang-David Miller-R. Nifty Norman
3-Vic’s Winner-George Brennan-Hermann Heitmann
4-Thrust Control-Brian Sears-Marcus Melander
5-Don-Andy Miller-Julie Miller
6-Credicone-Trond Smedshammer-Trond Smedshammer
7-Maxus-Yannick Gingras-Jimmy Takter
8-Perlucky-Jim Marohn Jr.-Trond Smedshammer

For Saturday’s complete Freehold entries, click here.