Breakout Beyers: Class line made Apprehend one to watch in second start

Marcus Hersh|Jan 05, 2022

Apprehend (13) wins a Dec. 31 maiden race at Oaklawn Park

Coady Photography Apprehend (13) gets up in the last jump to win an Oaklawn maiden, getting his last eighth in 12.29.

Each week in this space, the top Beyer performances by maiden winners will be featured and analyzed. Click here for a complete archive.

Apprehend

Dec. 31, 7th race Oaklawn, MdSpWt84k

Beyer: 85

6f 1:10.37 – 1st by a nose

b. c. 3, Arrogate – Hero’s Amor, by Street Hero

Auctions: Keeneland November breeding 2019 – $235,000; Keeneland September yearling 2020 – $140,000 (RNA); Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling 2020 – $200,000; Fasig-Tipton Florida March 2-year-old 2021 – $240,000 (RNA); OBS 2-year-old and horses of racing age 2021 – $185,000

Owner: Peter Redekop

Trainer: Rene Amescua

Breeder: Elevated Bloodstock and Raxon Cho

Hard to believe this colt was the 3-1 second choice considering he’d been a solid second behind (soon-to-be-named) champion Corniche in his lone prior dirt start. That came Sept. 4 at Del Mar, after which Apprehend, trained at the time by Peter Miller, had a break, returning in a turf sprint on Nov. 14. The surface switch is confusing, considering the dirt promise shown first out (87 Beyer) by this son of the late sire Arrogate, surely more a dirt influence than turf. The new barn wasted no time going back to dirt, and Apprehend overcame post 11 and a somewhat wide trip around the turn to narrowly prevail. Away decently, Apprehend stalked the pace outside, making a decent move into closer contention past the three-furlong pole, but the two leaders got away from him a bit in upper stretch and it wasn’t until the eighth pole that Apprehend began seriously gaining. Apprehend laid down a final furlong in 12.29 seconds, easily best among a dozen runners, and just got up in the last stride. While the win margin was narrow and the top three all finished close, more than eight lengths separated third and fourth in what seemed like a legitimate race. Apprehend’s dam raced effectively over 1 1/8 miles and with Arrogate on the other side of the pedigree it’s fair to assume he’ll stretch out. A curiosity at this point: The colt has the most extensive auction history I’ve ever seen in the DRF database.

Bron and Brow

Dec. 31, 5th race Fair Grounds, LaFuturity106k

Beyer: 79

6f 1:10.85 – 1st by 2 3/4 lengths

b. c. 3, Gormley – Changing Vista, by Changeintheweather

Noteworthy siblings: Emily’s Lollipop (Tiz the One) – stakes winner

Auctions: ESLA September yearling 2020 – $35,000; OBS spring 2-year-old 2021 – $200,000

Owner: Gary Barber

Trainer: Mark Casse

Breeder: J. Adcock and Hume Wornall

Strangely, this is the second horse on this week’s Breakout Beyers list to have previously been trained by Peter Miller. For Miller, racing without Lasix or blinkers, Bron and Brow (not to be confused with Bron and the Brow, by Northern Afleet, foaled in 2018) debuted with a solid third in a decent Del Mar maiden sprint before heading to Fair Grounds to take advantage of his Louisiana-bred status. Connections eschewed a maiden race and threw him into the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile, where Bron and Brow finished second and might well have been best, accounting for a lousy trip. His challenge this start was overcoming an inside speed-favoring surface that was carrying along a sharp Steve Asmussen-trained colt named Charco, who didn’t give an inch until the sixteenth pole, where Bron and Brow, poised to pass in upper stretch, finally took command. From Gormley’s first crop, Bron and Brow has a number of Louisiana-bred options at Fair Grounds and Delta Downs over the winter, and I’d suspect connections stick to that route.

Love on the Rocks

Dec. 30, 5th race Turfway, MdSpWt61k

Beyer: 78

6 1/2 furlongs Tapeta 1:17.21 – 1st by 5 3/4 lengths

ch. g. 3, Cupid – Bid It Up, by Stormy Atlantic

Owner: Lynn Kober and Tom Trahey

Trainer: William Morey

Breeder: Tom Trahey and Lynn Kober

This second-time starter had debuted in a $150,000 maiden claimer on dirt sprinting at Churchill and finished a distant second behind the Brad Cox-trained In Dreams, who returned to romp (91 Beyer) in a Dec. 17 Oaklawn Park allowance. On the one hand, Love on the Rocks got a sweet, ground-saving trip, never coming off the fence and getting through a wide passage in upper stretch when the pacesetter drifted off the rail. On the other, the homebred gelding traveled like a winner the entire trip and pulled away to a blowout victory while never being asked for any run. He could be one to consider for upcoming Turfway stakes but is no sure thing to excel at two turns.