DEL: “Sharp” Irish Maxima too much in Dashing Beauty
Closing in on $1 million mark
Frank Vespe
July 23, 2026
Trainer John Servis and owners Irish Three Racing bypassed last weekend’s Maggie L. Walker Stakes at Colonial Downs to await Thursday’s $150,000 Dashing Beauty at Delaware Park with Irish Maxima, their multiple graded stakes-winning mare.
For several anxious minutes, that looked like it might have been the wrong decision.
The five-year-old daughter of Maximus Mischief was skittish in the paddock, reared up on her hind legs, and later refused to be saddled.
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But once saddled, Irish Maxima was all business, and an all-business Irish Maxima was too much for her three rivals.
Irish Maxima settled just off the early pace, took over in upper stretch, and went on to win the Dashing Beauty by one length over early leader My Magic Wand, who just held off show horse Onyx Ten.
“She settled for me,” said winning rider and regular pilot Frankie Pennington. “She’s very good.”
“Frankie said he took her away from the pony and let her warm up a little bit, and he said she settled right down,” Servis said. “She stood on the backside a little bit and just looked and was relaxed as could be.”
Once the gates opened, though the race didn’t unfold precisely as one might have handicapped it, Servis’ anxious moments were few.
Kelly’s Girl was quickest to break of the quartet, but the ultra-speedy Gregg Sacco trainee My Magic Wand soon grabbed the lead from that runner and tugged the field through the opener with a one-length lead over Kelly’s Girl. Irish Maxima was poised three-wide and just behind Kelly’s Girl, who began to tire in the second quarter.
“It’s unusual for her not to be in front, and I noticed, I saw when he grabbed her, she looked like she kind of jumped into the bit a little bit, and I was like, ‘Oh, no!’” said Servis. “But then she settled right down for him and stalked and got the job done.”
My Magic Wand still held the advantage as the field turned for home, but Pennington and Irish Maxima had turned up the heat and went on to win. The final time was recorded as 1:11.87 after a video review of the race.
Irish Maxima paid $2.60 to win as the overwhelming favorite. The exacta, with the second choice underneath, returned $2.80 for a one-dollar wager. Onyx Ten was third, and Kelly’s Girl faded to fourth.
Anakarina, Disco Ebo, Icona Mama, and Outrageously all scratched.
Servis allowed that Irish Maxima can be “a handful,” pointing to a scar on his wrist that she gave him last year at Saratoga. This time, though, he said, she was just a little “too sharp.”
“That’s on me,” he added. “I think I just had her a little too sharp with two months between races, and I just wanted to make sure she was ready to roll.”
Servis assigned credit for getting Irish Maxima under control in the paddock to Delaware head outrider Lance Parrott.
“I hope they realize how important Lance is,” the trainer said. “He was here when I was here. He gets things done when things are not getting done. He’s great.”
Irish Maxima has won 12 of 19 career starts, and today’s triumph pushed her bankroll to $846,318.
Servis said Irish Maxima’s next trip may be to Charles Town, which hosts the seven-furlong, $300,000 Misty Bennett Pink Ribbon Stakes for fillies and mares on the Charles Town Classic and Charles Town Oaks undercard August 28.
A win there would make Irish Maxima a millionaire and meet another major goal.
“The Grade 2 win [in the Ruffian May 9] was huge for her, but I don’t think she’s a Grade 1 filly,” the trainer said. “So I said, well, instead of getting too high on her, let’s knock out the right spots and try to get her over a million dollars in earnings.”
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