Breakout Beyers: Electric Ride gives reason to be excited with 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.

Electric Ride

Aug. 28, 1st race Del Mar, MdSpWt72k

Beyer: 85

6f 1:10.84 – 1st by 8 1/2 lengths

b. f. 2, Daredevil – Why Oh You, by Yes It’s True

Auctions: Fasig-Tipton October yearling 2020 – $130,000; OBS spring 2-year-old 2021 – $250,000

Owner: Talla Racing

Trainer: John Sadler

Breeder: St. Simon Place

Looked like those behind her struggled over a slowish racing strip, but Electric Ride still clocked a faster final time than Baffert-trained debut colt Rockefeller later on the card and did so while being geared down through the final half-furlong. Very impressed with this filly. Her action isn’t perfect but it works for her, and she seemed very responsive to the rider, sitting off the front-runner until the jockey subtly asked for a bit more before the three-furlong marker. Smooth and rapid attack, and she ran the second part of the turn with special fluidity and power, blowing the race entirely open past the three-sixteenths (top of the stretch at Del Mar) and to the furlong grounds. Did not receive any schooling regarding the crop – hand ride all the way. Jockey had to stand up and pull reins with all his force to temper the gallop-out. Dam had a zero career, two races then done, and the second dam did not show a whole lot, either. Does not act or move like a pure sprinter, however, and really eager to see what the rest of this year brings.

Jack Christopher

Aug. 28, 2nd race Saratoga, MdSpWt100k

Beyer: 92

6f 1:09.85 – 1st by 8 3/4 lengths

ch. c. 2, Munnings – Rushin No Blushin, by Half Ours

Auctions: Fasig-Tipton Kentucky select yearling – $145,000 (RNA); Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling – $135,000

Owner: Jim Bakke & Gerald Isbister

Trainer: Chad Brown

Breeder: Castleton Lyons and Kilboy Estate

The workout times alone didn’t knock your socks off, but the word nonetheless was very much out in this first-time starter, who went off at 11-10 and made that look like a fair price. Can’t really fault any part of race. Broke alertly, sat comfortably second off the pacesetter, attacked the leader when asked, went right past, changed leads on cue, opened up to the wire for a blowout win, and ran very fast on the clock, a raw time that translated to one of the highest 2-year-old Beyers so far in 2021. Galloped out strong, too. Did move right ever so slightly in response to three pops of a right-handed crop, but that is the tiniest of quibbles. Efficient, smooth stride, but this colt looks like what his pedigree suggests – fast and a miler at the very most. Big speed influences, those broodmare sires, and both dam and second dam sprinted.

Oviatt Class

Aug. 27, 4th race Del Mar, MdSpWt72k

Beyer: 80

1M 1:37.97 – 1st by 4 1/4 lengths

b. c. 2, Bernardini – Occasionally, by Tiznow

Auctions: Keeneland November breeding 2019 – $37,000; Keeneland September yearling 2020 – $60,000

Owner: James Downey

Trainer: Keith Desormeaux

Breeder: Godolphin & Morgan’s Ford Farm

Well, we have our first confirmed 2-year-old route horse of some note. This was his third start but have to think trainer Desormeaux, who brings 2-year-olds along slowly, had a dirt route in mind all along for this colt, who showed little debuting in a turf mile before improving considerably second time in a dirt sprint. Just looking at the fractions from this maiden race you might write off Oviatt Class’s performance as mainly pace-related, since he rallied from second-last into splits of 21.75 and 45.62 – too demanding for 2-year-olds going long. But there was more substance to the performance than mere pace collapse. In fact, Oviatt Class was the only horse from the back of the field to make any impact, and the way he moved around the turn, rapidly passing rivals, racing with a purpose while navigating traffic, really caught the eye. Having made up so much ground to reach contention, he then put away odds-on Baffert-trained favorite Flying Drummer by running his final furlong in 12.72, faster than he’d run his penultimate furlong. Figure we’ll see him back in the Oct. 1 American Pharoah at Santa Anita. He really could be a BC Juvenile horse.

Rockefeller

Aug. 28, 8th race Del Mar, MdSpWt72k

Beyer: 80

6f 1:11.18 – 1st by 2 1/4 lengths

b. c. 2 – Medaglia d’Oro – Dance to Bristol, by Speightstown

Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2020 – $750,000

Owner: SF Racing, Starlight Stables, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, Golconda Stable, Siena Farm

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Breeder: Colts Neck Stable

Stark contrast to Electric Ride earlier on this card. Electric Ride is a polished, smooth, athletic filly compared to this raw and awkward colt. But raw and awkward leading to an open-lengths win and an 80 debut Beyer means the potential for greater growth – we’ll see if Rockefeller can get there. On video, at least, he looks like a real brute, and after breaking moderately from an inside gate somehow managed to muster enough speed to get to the lead before the outside pace could cross over and put him behind horses. His big lead diminished in the stretch because he never changed leads, going through the final three-sixteenths with his head up too high, seemingly laboring but actually doing plenty to get home. His action is – a work in progress. But a big, muscular colt debuting in an August sprint has time to figure things out. Second foal to race from Grade 1-winning sprinter.

Outfoxed

Aug. 28, 9th race Gulfstream, Florida Sire S. $250k

Beyer: 78

7f 1:23.81 – 1st by 13 1/2 lengths

b. f. 2, Valiant Minister – Savingtime, by Kantharos

Auctions: OBS 2-year-old, yearling, horses of racing age 2020 – $27,000; OBS spring 2-year-old 2021 – $350,000

Owner: LNJ Foxwoods

Trainer: Bill Mott

Breeder: Baoma Corp

Distant third behind the talented Echo Zulu debuting at Saratoga and was all set for this rich Florida Sire stakes off that first start. Raced midpack down the backstretch before the rider moved at the half-mile pole, Outfoxed coming four wide the first part of the turn, rapidly passing rivals to get right behind the lead pair. She made the front at the quarter pole without being asked, but the jockey apparently wasn’t confident she was doing enough on her own; he proceeded to ride the hair off the filly all the way to the sixteenth pole, going to the crop even when she had opened a lead of more than 10 lengths. That took a little shine off the margin of victory, as did a final furlong in 14.62 seconds. Absolute home run of a pinhook as the most expensive offspring by first-crop sire Valiant Minister so far sold. Also his first winner.

Ironstone

Aug. 29, 10th race Woodbine, SimcoeS201k

Beyer: 80

6.5f Tapeta 1:16.61 – 1st by 8 1/2 lengths

gr. c. 2, Mr Speaker – Casey’s Dreamin’, by Unbridled’s Song

Auctions: Ontario September yearling 2020 – $5,365

Owner: Tequesta Racing and Jupiter Leasing Co.

Trainer: W.V. Armata

Breeder: Kingview Farms

Moved up 27 Beyer points in his third start while racing for the first time on Lasix and going from open maiden special weight competition to a Canadian sales stakes. One of several horses on the early pace – until he blitzed them around the far turn, opened a good lead in upper stretch, and increased it to the wire despite slightly drifting out. Bright future as a synthetic-stakes horse, if nothing else. Second dam is a sister to Hall of Fame member Housebuster.