Trainer Brittany Russell entered the week not 100% sure that she was going to ship her promising 4-year-old filly Maida from Laurel Park in Maryland to Saratoga Race Course in New York for the $250,000 Honorable Miss Stakes (G2), but after seeing all positive signs from the "quirky" filly in her final days of training, she figured it was the right call.
"I wanted to make sure that all the stars aligned coming up," Russell said. "You want to make sure everything is right."
The stars certainly did align July 26 for the daughter of Improbable as she flashed great early speed and carried the field of seven gate-to-wire for her first career graded stakes victory.
A homebred for Harry Papaleo, Maida caught her connections' attention early on in her development, but left them confused when she debuted with a fourth-place finish, beaten 4 1/4 lengths, in May 2025. However, Russell continued to learn more about her filly and reversed that fortune, winning her next three starts by a combined 21 1/2 lengths and earning a stakes triumph at Laurel Park.
A bad break in October at Keeneland kept the filly from her preferred leading position and ended that streak in her graded debut, the Raven Run Stakes (G2). She then had a break and returned on eight-months rest to dominate the Alma North Stakes June 27 at Laurel Park by 10 1/2 lengths.
"She's always been pretty classy, she's always done everything right," jockey Sheldon Russell, Brittany's husband, said. "Since she's come back off the layoff, she's been flawless, stronger, better, faster. I was hoping for a big run, today was awesome."
The Alma North made the Russells believe they had the talent to try again at the graded level, Brittany saying it left them wanting to take a "big swing." The swing was for the fences, facing the likes of grade 2 winner Grand Job, who missed by just a nose each to top sprinters Eclatant and Ways and Means in her last two starts, not to mention the additional presence of millionaire Haulin Ice and grade 2 winner Kappa Kappa, who beat Maida by 7 1/4 lengths in the Raven Run last fall.
But speed is speed, and it traveled with Maida to Saratoga. The filly blazed through fractions of :22.20 and :44.95 while racing two lengths clear on the backstretch. Grand Job and Junior Alvarado began mounting a rally around the far turn, drawing even as they approached the quarter pole. Maida had a response, and it overwhelmed the odds-on favorite. They battled until the eighth pole when Maida began pulling clear. Haulin Ice was mounting a rally late, but came up 1 1/4 lengths short while passing Grand Job for the runner-up spot.
Maida completed 6 furlongs in 1:10.43 and paid $15.64 to win.
"If she breaks, there's only one thing to do. You're going to go and you're going to see if you're good enough," Brittany said of her instructions to Sheldon. "To have Bill Mott's filly (Grand Job) come up to her, I said, 'Here's the test.' She's never had a horse like that come to her. When she dug in, it makes you feel pretty good."
Sheldon rides regularly for his wife in Maryland, but other riders often pick up the mounts when they ship to top venues like Saratoga. He expressed gratitude after the race to Papaleo for never putting any pressure on the decision and fully backing keeping him with the filly.
"Brittany, at this stage, is getting decent horses and they sort of get to that stage in their career where they have to go and swim in the deep rivers," he said. "There was never a doubt that I was going to keep the mount, so I appreciate it. Especially to see her win, that makes it very special. I got those opportunities with (multiple graded stakes winner and multiple grade 1-placed) Post Time, so when I get them, I appreciate them."
He was also thankful to the filly herself for making his job easy.
"She's lightning fast. I don't even think I could make her get away slow. So I think Brittany was confident in that sense, I couldn't mess it up," he joked.
Out of the Five Star Day grade 3-winning mare Eve Giselle, she becomes the first graded winner bred by Papaleo and the second graded winner for her late sire Improbable. Maida now sports a record of 5-0-0 from seven starts for earnings of $335,650.
Grand Job ended up finishing 2 1/4 lengths back in third, nosing out Striker Has Dial for the position. Alvarado liked his trip, but didn't feel his filly gave the same effort she had in her earlier starts this year.
"Turning for home, I thought I had the horse on the lead (Maida), but she couldn't go by and then she started getting a little flat at the end," Alvarado said. "She never gave me that feeling. Before I got to the horse on the lead, I had to smooch her a couple times. Normally, she does that on her own without me smooching her or making any movement.
"She felt good in post parade, and everything was good. When we turned for home, it wasn't close to what she normally does. She fights, but she didn't have none of that today."
