He is the Brad Pitt of racehorses and if Maximal can convert his good looks into racetrack performances, the sky is the limit.
John O’Shea is not one to wax lyrical about his horses but there is an undeniable lift in his voice when he talks about untapped talent Maximal.
A dual Listed placegetter in Europe who finished fourth in the Group 1 St James Palace Stakes from just a handful of starts, Maximal will resume in Saturday’s Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick, his second run in Sydney following a sixth in the Golden Eagle from a horror draw.
O’Shea has been taken by Maximal since the horse stepped off the plane but he is even more enamoured by what he is seeing this preparation.
“In terms of his strength and development, he is a magnificent specimen now whereas he was a bit wintery last season,” O’Shea said.
“Coming into our spring and their winter, his coat had turned and he was a bit light and probably a bit tired.
“Now he has got a real spring in his step, a real glow to his coat and he’s about 25 kilos heavier. That augurs well for a progressive campaign with a view to hopefully being competitive in some nice races.”
O’Shea believes Maximal will be at his best over a middle-distance and is likely to need a mile to be a winning chance at weight-for-age level.
In that vein, the Apollo Stakes is more autumn launchpad than target race, but O’Shea is still keen to see him running well.
He believes the four-year-old has the capacity to develop into a top-class middle-distance horse and will give Maximal the chance to prove it this autumn, with the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Randwick in two weeks his second-up goal.
“He’s got the formlines, he’s got the pedigree, he seems to have the ability,” O’Shea said.
“It is just incumbent upon us to slot him in at the right area. I think we’ve got our head around where that is, so it’s just a matter of getting started now.”
Hugh Bowman has the mount on Maximal, who has drawn barrier two and is being kept safe in early markets as an $8.50 chance.