Breakout Beyers: Conquest Warrior could be serious prospect

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

Conquest Warrior
Jan. 13, 9th race Gulfstream, MdSpWt70k
Beyer: 84
b.c.3, City of Light – Tea Time, by Pulpit
1 mile 1:38.57 – 1st by 1/2
Noteworthy siblings: None
Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2022 – $1 million
Owner: Courtlandt Farm
Trainer: Shug McGaughey
Breeder: Betz, B&K Canetti, J. Betz, CoCo Equine, D.J. Stables

The figure hardly tells the tale of this performance – the second start, following a seven-furlong debut (finishing fourth behind the very sharp winner El Capi) – for the million-dollar baby Conquest Warrior. Breaking from post 2, Conquest Warrior became the meat in an equine sandwich when the horse to his inside came sharply out at the start as the horse breaking from post 4 veered in. Bumped and squeezed back, Conquest Warrior raced from a distant last down the backstretch and was playing catch-up from the beginning. He did make some progress toward the five-furlong marker while perhaps slightly resenting a sandy spray of kickback, then had his path taken away to some extent while looking for a spot toward the inside. Instead, jockey Jose Ortiz went outside at the start of the turn before angling over and winding up between rivals and behind the lead pack. At the quarter pole, things got tight, and Ortiz had to check/steady again, costing Conquest Warrior precious momentum just when horses should be making their final push into Gulfstream’s short homestretch. No matter – Ortiz again went outside, and once clear, Conquest Warrior showed an eye-catching turn of foot to pounce on the leaders and get up. While his mom was a sprinter, this colt has the look of a route horse, and one who will be growing into his frame through winter and spring. Could really be something.

Tuscan Sky
Jan. 14, 1st race Aqueduct, MdSpWt80k
Beyer: 89
6 furlongs 1:10.51 (muddy/sealed) – first by 5 1/4 lengths
gr.c.2, Vino Rosso – South Andros, by Sky Mesa
Noteworthy siblings: Private Creed (Jimmy Creed, foaled 2020) – multiple stakes winner, graded stakes winner, $1.32 million earnings
Auctions: Fasig-Tipton summer yearling 2022 – $200,000
Owner: Spendthrift Farm
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Breeder: Sierra Farm

This colt was working at Saratoga back in June but couldn’t put things together in time for summer racing and was left in New York when his mega-trainer decamped to Florida for the winter, which is not to say he can’t run. You won’t see many races of any sort won in the way Tuscan Sky’s trip unfolded, and far fewer than that from a first-time starter like him. Tuscan Sky was urged out of the gate, made the lead, and got to the rail, only to be displaced on the engine before the half-mile pole by odds-on favorite Have You Heard as another horse rushed up to shuffle Tuscan Sky back to third. Tuscan Sky did not look especially comfortable the first half of his race and appeared to be slightly unbalanced, but having two targets seemed to help him, and there he came, taken outside at the quarter pole to make a run. The colt appeared to gain confidence with every stride, and once he switched leads, it was all over. Tuscan Sky threw down 11.98-second and 12.06 furlongs to finish up with a very solid quarter-mile, then was tapped by jockey Manny Franco a couple times on the gallop-out, a sure signal that connections were already wondering if this horse will stretch. We ought to soon find out.

Roswell
Jan. 14, 4th race Gulfstream, MdSpWt70k
Beyer: 81
6 furlongs 1:10.81 – 1st by 1 1/2 lengths
b.f.3, Into Mischief – Acoma, by Empire Maker
Noteworthy siblings: None
Auctions: None
Owner: Helen Alexander
Trainer: Bill Mott
Breeder: Groves-Alexander Thoroughbreds

Keeping it all in the family with this week’s Breakout Beyers: Roswell’s second dam is the Danzig mare Aurora, and Aurora is the third dam of Conquest Warrior. Roswell didn’t do anything as flashy in her win as Conquest Warrior did in his. Her trip was a standard stalking sort of journey, though she did cede some ground going into the turn that she then had to make up. Roswell, who was 11-1, ended up having to be set down in the stretch to catch the leader and eventual place horse, 77-1 shot Far and Few, but there should be some stay to this pedigree, and in a crop of 3-year-old fillies producing few standout figures, her 81 at least merits mention.

Pretty Liam
Jan. 11, 5th race Gulfstream, MdSpWt89k
Beyer: 83
5 furlongs 55.37 – 1st by 3 3/4 lengths
b.f.2, Liam’s Map – Sylphide, by Blame
Noteworthy siblings: Danse Macabre (Army Mule, foaled 2020) – multiple stakes winner, graded stakes winner, $957K earnings
Auctions: Keeneland November breeding 2021 – withdrawn; Keeneland September yearling 2022 – $240,000 (RNA)
Owner: St. Elias Stable
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Breeder: St. Elias Stable

Debuting at five furlongs over Gulfstream’s Tapeta surface? No idea what that means. Perhaps as a prelude to a turf-sprint campaign, as sibling Danse Macabre, now a 4-year-old, has excelled in that kind of race. Was bred to be sold, wasn’t sold, and didn’t hit the work tab until this past November. She faced 11 in this, her first race, and wound up with a golden inside stalking trip just behind the leaders. Guided outside, Pretty Liam hit high gear the final furlong, getting it in 10.99 while drifting out, and followed the finish with a strong gallop-out. Interesting horse.