After audible, Irish Maxima looms in Dashing Beauty
Skipped Colonial stakes race for this spot
The Biz
July 20, 2026
Irish Three Racing’s Irish Maxima will make her return in Thursday’s $150,000 Dashing Beauty Stakes at Delaware Park after trainer John Servis opted to bypass last weekend’s Maggie L. Walker Stakes at Colonial Downs July 18 in favor of the six-furlong sprint.
The Dashing Beauty drew a field of eight fillies and mares and marks Irish Maxima’s first start since she captured the Grade 2 Ruffian at a mile on May 9 at Belmont at Aqueduct.
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The Kentucky-bred has won three of four starts this season and owns 11 victories from 18 career starts, including graded stakes wins in the Ruffian and the 2025 Grade 3 Distaff at Aqueduct. She also won last year’s Barbara Fritchie Stakes at Laurel Park and has earned $756,318.
Servis initially planned to run Irish Maxima in the one-mile Maggie L. Walker at Colonial Downs on July 18, but uncertainty surrounding the weather and the availability of another suitable spot led to a change of plans. Colonial canceled its July 17 card, but the Saturday card came off as planned, and Miss Authentic won the race.
“I actually had planned on running her at Colonial,” Servis said. “I just got off a plane and got a text that the card had been canceled, so now I am looking at the weather and everything else, but I knew Delaware had this race that fit her as well. We entered thinking this would give us another opportunity if we decided to do something else. We could have run her at Colonial, but after looking at the race at Delaware and the uncertainty with the weather on Saturday, we decided to come to Delaware.”
Irish Maxima has won two of her four six-furlong starts and has never been worse than third at the trip.
Servis said Irish Maxima has trained well during the layoff. She has posted a recorded work just about every 10 days since the end of May, including bullet half-miles at Parx June 10 and June 30.
“I am very happy with her,” he said. “She is coming into the race great after having a few months off. She has been a super mare, and it is a pleasure to train her, especially for these owners, who have been great to work with. You really cannot ask for much more from her, winning 11 races from 18 starts, and she brings it almost every time.”
Regular pilot Frankie Pennington is slated to ride for Servis and Irish Three Racing. Irish Maxima is the 3-2 morning line favorite.
Local hopefuls in the Dashing Beauty include Onyx Ten (12-1), My Magic Wand (9-2), and Kelly’s Girl (10-1).
Onyx Ten, a three-time stakes winner for trainer Gary Capuano and owner-breeder Frank Sample, was most recently a disappointing fourth as the favorite in a local starter allowance. Leading rider Paco Lopez has the mount.
My Magic Wand projects as a major forward factor; she’s been first at the first call in three of her last four starts, including the Grade 3 Vagrancy May 3, in which she finished fifth. She easily won a second-level allowance at Aqueduct last out, and Edwin Gonzalez will ride for trainer Gregg Sacco and owner Reeves Thoroughbred Racing.
Hugh Robertson’s Kelly’s Girl, who enters off a runner-up finish in a Delaware Park ratings handicap on June 17 after winning a second-level allowance race over the track by three lengths in May. Trained by McLean Robertson, the daughter of Three Hour Nap has compiled a record of four wins from 13 starts.
“She has good speed and she tries hard,” Robertson said. “We started her at Hawthorne, she kept really tough company at Oaklawn and she has been running really well at Delaware, so it makes sense to give her this opportunity against stakes company.”
The Dashing Beauty is carded as the ninth on a 10-race card. Post time for the card is 12:20 p.m.
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