LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Maxfield rewarded the patience of his connections and ran himself squarely into the Kentucky Derby picture with a one-length triumph Saturday in the 23rd running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Matt Winn Stakes at fan-free Churchill Downs. The Winn was the first race for Maxfield since the Godolphin homebred Street Sense colt won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland last October. Maxfield remained unbeaten in three starts, rolling past Ny Traffic in the final 100 yards and finishing 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.05 over a fast track. He paid $4.60 as favorite in a field of 10 3-year-olds. :: Start earning weekly cashback on your wagering today. Click to learn more. Maxfield would have been very hard-pressed to make the Derby if it had been run May 2, but with the race postponed to Sept. 5 because of the coronavirus epidemic, the colt and trainer Brendan Walsh found themselves benefitting from the extra time. Maxfield underwent minor ankle surgery last November after being scratched from the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and came into the Winn on a series of workouts. “We were really anxious to see this one,” said Walsh. “It wasn’t an easy spot, either. It’s nice to get this one out of the way.” Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Maxfield was much closer to the early pace than in his two races last year. In and among a crush of horses into the first turn, he was eased out of a tight spot by Ortiz by the time the field straightened onto the backstretch, in the clear and a few lengths behind the leaders. Leaving the backstretch, he began steadily gaining while kept wide, and his strong final furlong carried him to victory. The Winn was one of five stakes on an 11-race card and was the first Derby points race (50-20-10-5) since divisions of the Arkansas Derby were run on the original Kentucky Derby date. Maxfield now has 60 points, having earned 10 last fall, making it highly likely he’ll have a spot among the 20 Derby starters. His next start might even come in the Belmont Stakes, which will be run at 1 1/8 miles on June 20. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2020: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more Ny Traffic, in from Florida off a runner-up finish in the March 21 Louisiana Derby, relaxed just off the early pace set by 168-1 shot Celtic Striker before surging to a short lead in the upper stretch. He and jockey Paco Lopez turned back a couple of sustained challenges, but were unable to withstand the late run of Maxfield, who was clearly superior on this day. “It’s good to see him come back and see he’s as good, if not better, than when he was a 2-year-old,” said Walsh of Maxfield. “Jose gave him a great ride. He had a different kind of style than he did in the past. He broke really good. He won and we can’t ask for more than that.” Pneumatic, the 5-2 second choice, was third, another three-quarters of a length back, and was followed by Attachment Rate, Necker Island, Celtic Striker, Shake Some Action, Informative, Flap Jack, and Major Fed. Mystic Guide and Crypto Cash were early scratches. The $2 exacta (10-6) paid $25.20, the $1 trifecta (10-6-2) returned $41.80, and the 10-cent superfecta (10-6-2-11) was worth $17.05. The Winn is the first of at least 10 remaining qualifiers for the 146th Derby. Churchill on May 12 announced the revised slate of points races, which include the June 6 Santa Anita Derby (100 points to the winner) and the Belmont (150).