Deep Flame Cruises to 5 3/4-Length Maxfield Score

Juddmonte homebred Deep Flame replicated his dominant maiden-breaking performance from last month, effortlessly tracking the early pace before accelerating in the turn and drawing off to secure his first graded stakes victory in the $250,000 Maxfield Stakes (G3) June 28 at Churchill Downs. Prize Pick broke sharply to lead the field through swift opening fractions of :22.40 and :44.77 over a fast track with Deep Flame glued to his flank. With a quarter mile to go, Deep Flame took flight under Irad Ortiz Jr. to draw away from the field. Coming into the turn, grade 1-winner Brant, with Flavien Prat aboard, looked like he might give Deep Flame a run for his money as he began to make a move on the outside. That challenger ultimately proved no match for the winner, who finished 5 3/4 lengths ahead of his rivals. "He did everything professionally today and impressed me once again," Ortiz said. American Man and Igniter put in late closing runs to finish second and third, respectively. Brant faded to fourth. The final time for the 7-furlong race was 1:21.43. Sent off as the 6-5 favorite, Deep Flame paid $4.50 to win. The 3-year-old colt by Into Mischief was making his fourth career start for trainer Brad Cox. He broke his maiden at Churchill last month by 7 lengths following two runner-up efforts earlier this year. Prior to his maiden triumph, Deep Flame had finished half a length behind the well-regarded Gilded Bandit in a maiden special weight at Keeneland April 4. Pin Oak Stud's Gilded Bandit recently finished fourth in the Woody Stephens (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. "He came into this race with a good foundation, being his fourth career start," Cox said. "We felt like the timing was right to stretch him out to 7 furlongs. There's a long year ahead with a lot of big opportunities left. After the way he breezed last time, we were confident he was going to run a big race today." Deep Flame became the 200th black-type stakes winner by Into Mischief, the seven-time defending leading sire who stood the 2026 season for $250,000 at Spendthrift Farm. Nu What's New Goes Wire to Wire in Hanshin Stakes Back at 1 mile, Doubledown Stables' Nu What's New got back to his winning ways in the $300,000 Hanshin Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs. The 4-year-old gelding by Munnings wired the field, finishing 1 1/2 lengths in front of Owen Almighty. Under a confident ride from Luis Saez, Nu What's New went straight to the front out of the gate, setting demanding fractions of :22.40 and :44.68 through the opening half mile. Imagination, Tour Player, and Coal Battle stalked the pace, putting pressure on Nu What's New. As they neared the quarter pole, fan favorite Coal Battle made a smart move on the inside under Corey Lanerie, who was riding his final career race. Though it appeared the son of Coal Front could hold for second, Owen Almighty snatched that placing away with a strong rally on the outside. Hall of Fame had to go four wide coming into the stretch and got up for third, relegating Coal Battle to fourth. "He just kept finding more for me today," Saez said. "We were going at a solid pace, but he was doing it so easily. Every time I asked him, he gave me a little bit more." The final time for the 1-mile race was 1:34.06. Nu What's New paid $19.90 to win. "He just keeps getting better," trainer Jimmy DiVito said. "We felt like a mile would really suit him, and he showed today how tough he can be at this distance. It's rewarding to see him continue to improve with every start."