by Jeff Lowe

Albertus Maximus continued his ascension since joining trainer Vladimir Cerin’s barn this summer by rumbling to a 1 1/4-length win in the $916,000 TVG Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Saturday at the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita Park.

Owners-breeders Marianne and Brandon Chase sent Albertus Maximus to Cerin in July after he finished fifth as the favorite in a turf allowance race at Hollywood Park for trainer Gary Mandella. The four-year-old Albert the Great colt registered his first stakes win in the Windy Sands Handicap on the Polytrack surface at Del Mar in his initial start for Cerin and followed with a fast-closing third-place finish to Well Armed in the Goodwood Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita.

Well Armed never fired as the 6-to-5 favorite in the Dirt Mile, and Albertus Maximus kicked into gear at the top of the lane for jockey Garrett Gomez to overtake game pacesetter Two Step Salsa and burst clear. Albertus Maximus completed one mile in 1:33.41 on the synthetic Pro-Ride surface.

“Sometimes things work out for the best, although it’s always sad to move a horse somewhere else,” Marianne Chase said. “They were very good to him. Gary loved the horse, but I think Gary and I felt we were going backwards with the horse. … Sometimes changing what you’ve been doing, with new eyes to look at the horse and his talent, can do it. Vladimir just had the key.”

Cerin could not point to a single factor that made the difference with Albertus Maximus, who finished second last year in both the Affirmed Handicap (G3) and Swaps Breeders’ Cup Stakes (G2) at Hollywood Park.

“He’s a magnificent specimen … and I have no idea what we did,” said Cerin, who earned his first Breeders’ Cup win. “We just took care of him like we do all the horses, and he just seemed to blossom. But he is the best-looking horse here. There is no horse that can match his physical ability and his physical look.”

Jockey Aaron Gryder steadied Well Armed on the far turn and got no response in the stretch as the Tiznow gelding faded to finish ninth.

“He seemed to be in trouble every step of the way,” trainer Eoin Harty said. “Every move seemed to be the wrong one.”

Rebellion (GB) closed from last in the field of 12 to finish second at 18.60-to-1. Two Step Salsa held on to finish third at 22.30-to-1.

Albertus Maximus, the third choice at 6.30-to-1, collected his fifth win in 15 starts and pushed his earnings to $908,230.

The Chases bred Albertus Maximus in Kentucky out of the winning Forty Niner Chasethewildwind.

For an Equibase chart, click here.

For a video replay of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, click here.

Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer