I Am Maximus

The headline moment came on 13 April 2024, when the horse won a Class 1 race at Aintree, one of the most prestigious venues in British racing. Class 1 is as high as it gets, and I Am Maximus has spent most of its career at that level — five races in total, with that one win to show for it. Competing consistently at the top table without embarrassing yourself is no small thing, and it says something about the quality of horse this is.

Away from the big occasions, there is a smaller story that deserves attention: Fairyhouse. I Am Maximus has raced there three times and won twice, which is the kind of record that makes a trainer's eyes light up. Two wins from three at a single track is not luck — it suggests the horse genuinely suits the place, whether that's the layout of the course, the ground, or simply some quirk of temperament that clicks there.

The yard behind the horse is hard to overstate. Trained by W P Mullins out of Muine Bheag in County Carlow, I Am Maximus is part of an operation that has sent out 237 winners this season alone. That is not a small stable hoping for a good day — that is one of the most powerful training operations in the sport. When Mullins enters a horse, it tends to mean something.

What gives the current situation a little edge is the waiting. The last win came at Aintree over two years ago now, and the last six races have produced no victories — a fifth, two seconds, a ninth, and an eighth among them. There have been placed efforts in there, so the horse has not fallen off a cliff, but the winning feeling has been a long time coming. Jockey Jody McGarvey has ridden the horse five times and won once — 1 from 5. A short break of 55 days has followed the most recent run. Whether that freshens things up remains to be seen.