Breakout Beyers: Clearly Unhinged puts it all together in debut win
Each week in this space, the top Beyer performances by maiden winners will be featured and analyzed. Click here for a complete archive.
Clearly Unhinged
Feb. 5, 1st race Santa Anita, MdSpWt67k
Beyer: 89
6 1/2 furlongs 1:15.66 – 1st by 3 1/4 lengths
b. f. 3, Into Mischief – Smart Win, by Smart Strike
Owner: Rock Brother Racing
Trainer: Michael McCarthy
Breeder: Rock Brothers Breeding
The Bob Baffert-trained debuting filly Conquistar went postward a 3-10 favorite in this maiden filly sprint, but the money was on the wrong first-time starter. Clearly Unhinged broke slightly inward from the rail in this six-horse field but did most everything else right on the way to a convincing, front-running score. Quickly straightened out after the start, Clearly Unhinged was ridden to the lead by John Velazquez, who let the filly go along on her own while keeping her two to three paths from the rail leading down the backstretch. Around the turn, Clearly Unhinged had a clear advantage that she comfortably held even as the chasing horses applied pressure, and she switched leads professionally after turning for home. Velazquez stayed busy on his mount from the eighth pole to the finish and went to one right-handed crop as Clearly Unhinged drifted out in the final 100 yards, likely tiring at the end of her first race. The filly shut it down or was shut down just past the wire, the place and show finishers quickly galloping out past her, for whatever that was worth. She’s the first foal to race from a dam who was winless in eight races – sprints and routes, dirt and turf. The third dam, Win Crafty Lady, verges on blue hen status having produced three graded-stakes winners, including this filly’s second dam, Win McCool. If one had to guess based on pedigree and this lone start, one might think Clearly Unhinged could wind up more a one-turn horse than two.
Bus Buzz
Feb. 4, 5th race Santa Anita, Cal-bredMdSpWt67k
Beyer: 93
6 furlongs 1:09.70 – 1st by 8 lengths
b. g. 3, Stay Thirsty – Lost Bus, by Bring the Heat
Auctions: Fasig-Tipton California yearling and horses of racing age 2021 - $97,000
Owner: Thomas Halasz, Terry Lovingier, Amanda Navarro
Trainer: Steve Knapp
Breeder: Terry Lovingier
California-bred or otherwise, this was quite the impressive debut from a gelding with great speed. Racing in French cup blinkers, a shadow roll, and a tongue tie, Bus Buzz was 6-1 in a six-horse field but performed like an odds-on favorite. The official chart says he was bumped at the start; the contact came a few strides into the race and was barely significant enough to merit mention. It didn’t stop Bus Buzz from making a clear lead, and whatever pace adjustments one might make to the raw times, a half-mile in 43.97 seconds is cooking. The most impressive part of the gelding’s performance: Even after setting a pace that robust, he didn’t appear to visibly tire through the stretch run, opening back up again past the three-sixteenths pole after his lead had diminished by a couple of lengths, running his final furlong straight as a string, never coming off his line. This is the third foal to race from Lost Bus, claimed for $32,000 by Bus Buzz’s breeder before going on to win the Grade 2 Santa Monica over seven furlongs. He projects as a sprinter – but an elite one in the Cal-bred ranks if he can build much at all on this first start.
Lakota Territory
Feb. 3, 4th race Gulfstream, MdSpWt70k
Beyer: 98
6 furlongs 1:09.92 – 1st by 1/2
b. c. 4, Quality Road – Akron Moon, by Malibu Moon
Noteworthy siblings: Bellafina (Quality Road, foaled 2016) – multiple Grade 1 winner, $1.6 million earnings, Eclipse Award finalist; Diamond King (Quality Road, foaled 2015) – multiple stakes winner, graded-stakes placed, $720K earnings
Owner: JSM Equine
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Breeder: Whisper Hill Farm, Three Chimneys Farm, JSM Equine
Lakota Territory traveled a long road just to make the races but belatedly debuted with a bang; a 98 Beyer is strong stuff, even for a 4-year-old. The colt clearly has pedigree and was intended for a yearling auction in 2021 before being withdrawn. He shows no official workouts in his data-base page until May 2022, and after posting four breezes though June 2, he didn’t work again until Nov. 27. Trainer Todd Pletcher then got the colt on a weekly work pattern through Jan. 13 (small gap for whatever reason between Jan. 13 and Jan. 22), sending Lakota Territory from his main base at Palm Beach Downs to work three times at Gulfstream – an uncommon move for this barn. Lakota Territory wasn’t even the favorite here, with the Bill Mott-trained first timer A La Carte 7-5 to Lakota Territory’s 9-5. A La Carte would have won 99.9 percent of all older maiden sprints run in North America but ran into the wrong horse while finishing almost 10 lengths clear of third. Lakota Territory stumbled slightly just after the start and wound up tracking the pace from third, going easily enough several lengths behind the speed, but not really looking like a horse about to unleash a monster run. He and Irad Ortiz Jr. cruised into contention approaching the quarter pole and came abreast of A La Carte in upper stretch as the race’s other pace player caved. A La Carte came out and twice bumped Lakota Territory, who already was going the better of the pair and shrugged off the contact to push out to a half-length win. A final furlong in 11.96 over the Gulfstream surface is good stuff. Lakota Territory took forever to make the races and ran a big figure in a hard-fought victory first time out; let’s see if he can hang together.