Irish Maxima started her career fast and has only gotten better.

A two-time stakes winner last year at three, the newly minted four-year-old Maximus Mischief filly will look to kick off her campaign with what would be the biggest win of her career in Saturday’s seven-furlong, $200,000 Barbara Fritchie Stakes at Laurel Park.

The seven-furlong Fritchie shares the day’s top local race honors with the $200,000 General George for four-year-olds and up.

Irish Maxima closed her three-year-old season with an eye-catching 13 ¾-length triumph in Parx Racing’s $75,000 Mrs. Claus Stakes on New Year’s Eve in which she earned a career-best 101 Beyer speed figure.

It was her fourth win in five outings, the second in stakes company. She also won the Weather Vane at Laurel in September.

“She went into that race so good last time,” John Servis, who trains the filly for Irish Three Racing LLC, told Laurel publicity. “We gave her plenty of time in between races, and she’s doing really good.”

She’s had three works at Servis’ Parx Racing base since that triumph. Most recently she breezed a half-mile in 48 3/5 seconds Feb. 4; that was the fourth-fastest of 39 works at the distance that day.

Irish Maxima is out of the graded stakes-placed Cox’s Ridge mare Palace Pier. A $50,000 purchase as a two-year-old in training at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale in Timonium, Irish Maxima is one of 10 winners out of her dam.

Irish Maxima has won six of nine career starts while earning just shy of $300,000. She’s won from just off the pace and from the front, and in the Mrs. Claus, she broke directly to the front.

“She broke so sharp,” Servis said. “As far as I was concerned, the race was over before they left the chute. When I saw her get in front by herself like that, she rates so kind and has that steady clip, and she keeps going.”

She led by 1 ½ lengths after the opener, four after a half-mile, and nine after six furlongs. Running time on a muddy, sealed surface was 1:24.68.

Frankie Pennington, aboard for all five of Irish Maxima’s 2024 starts, has the return mount.

“She’s got a great post [five], and she’ll rate,” Servis said. “If she breaks like she broke last time, I expect she’ll be in front, but we’re not going to send her off her feet.”

Her main rival in a tepid renewal of the onetime Grade 2 fixture likely will be either St. Benedicts Prep, trained in New York by Linda Rice for Ronald P. Stewart, or the graded stakes-placed Royal Spa. She is trained by Rodolphe Brisset for Breffni Farm.

St. Benedicts Prep, whom Stewart claimed for $80,000 in April 2024, has since won four times and finished second in a pair of stakes. Two back she was a near-miss second to Ms. Bucchero in Laurel’s What A  Summer, and last out she finished second in the Interborough at Aqueduct.

Leading rider Jaime Rodriguez will ride.

Royal Spa achieved her top result when second behind Two Sharp in the Grade 3 Chilukki at Churchill Downs this past November. Last out she finished fourth in the Bugler Overnight Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Sheldon Russell will ride.

The remainder of the field includes Aussie Girl, who will make her first start on dirt after 17 turf tries; locally-based I’m A Cutie Pie for trainer Annette Eubanks, a winner in claiming company last out; and Parx-based Mary Q, an allowance winner last out.

The Fritchie is the sixth on a nine-race card.