Each week in this space, the top Beyer performances by maiden winners will be featured and analyzed. Click here for a complete archive. Fierceness Aug. 25, 6th race Saratoga, MdSpWt105k Beyer: 95 6 furlongs (muddy, sealed) 1:09.56 – 1st by 11 1/4 lengths b.c.2, City of Light – Nonna Bella, by Stay Thirsty Noteworthy siblings: None Auctions: None Owner: Repole Stable Trainer: Todd Pletcher Breeder: Repole Stable This is a Repole and Pletcher horse through and through. Owner-breeder Mike Repole bought Fierceness’s second dam, Nonna Mia, for $200,000 at auction and campaigned her and this colt’s dam, Nonna Bella. Repole also bought Fierceness’s sire, Stay Thirsty, and campaigned him. Pletcher trained all three horses. Nonna Bella’s first named foal, Dolce Bella, worked more than 30 times without racing; her second, Action Aisle, breezed over the winter but also hasn’t started. Fierceness, who was entered in and withdrawn from the 2022 Keeneland September sale, started breezing with trainer Pletcher’s string at Monmouth before moving to Saratoga. He debuted over a muddy, sealed surface as an 11-10 favorite and had good gate speed to press the pace, and before hitting the half-mile pole, he’d already overwhelmed the early leader. On the turn, Fierceness was hounded for a furlong or so by another rival but ran away from that horse at the five-sixteenths and was by himself through the stretch. Fierceness changed leads just a couple strides later than ideal, and despite already having the race well in hand, was cropped left-handed at the furlong grounds, causing a minor jink right. From there, it was posing time for the jockey. Fierceness continued out strongly around the turn, still galloping at the six-furlong marker when the replay video abruptly ends. Obviously among the flashiest 2-year-olds this year, and the Beyer is second-highest among offspring of City of Light. The obvious caveats regarding speed on a wet track apply, and keep in mind this very much was a fast early, slow late kind of race. Awesome Road Aug. 27, 7th race Ellis, MdSpWt70k Beyer: 85 6 furlongs 1:10.80 –1st by 2 3/4 lengths b.c.2, Quality Road – Orate, by A.P. Indy Noteworthy siblings: Awesome Chatter (First Samurai, foaled 2010) – stakes winner, $221K earnings Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2022 – $600,000 Owner: Albaugh Family Stables and Donegal Racing Trainer: Brad Cox Breeder: Claiborne Farm The dam was born in 2004 and her 11th named foal must have come out looking good since he fetched a pretty penny at auction. Awesome Road was with Cox’s string at Keeneland, then moved to Churchill, and must have shown someone something in the morning since he was even-money in his debut. He broke just all right, contested the pace between horses, then wound up leading along the rail through the turn run. His outside pace rival stuck his head in front turning for home, but Awesome Road held his position, got back on terms, and was going much the best the final 50 yards, galloping out well clear of the runner up, who was 10 lengths in front of the third-place horse at the wire. The colt hails from an old Claiborne family with a lot of quality, and he absolutely should run farther. Patriot Spirit Aug. 25, 4th race Colonial, MdSpWt61k Beyer: 75 7 furlongs 1:23.03 – 1st by 6 lengths b.c.2, Constitution – Mistical Plan, by Game Plan Noteworthy siblings: None Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2022 – $95,000; OBS March 2023 – $235,000 Owner: Mellon Patch Trainer: Michael Campbell Breeder: Blue Heaven Farm You might never see a first-time starter win more easily than this colt did. Patriot Spirit broke just all right from the outside post in a nine-horse field and immediately was taken firmly in hand. The jockey, Jesus Castanon, let out a quarter notch at the five-furlong marker, and Patriot Spirit jumped from midpack up to third, getting into a pressing position outside the 4-5 Godolphin favorite Linzer into and around the turn. The rider kept a firm hold until the five-sixteenths, when he again gave his mount just a little rein, Patriot Spirit immediately getting to Linzer’s flank. Castanon took a hold again even as Patriot Spirit was passing Linzer in upper stretch with little effort, then moved his hands just for a couple strides as Patriot Spirit belatedly switched leads and began drawing away. The final half-furlong Castanon was stock-still again, moving only to give his mount a congratulatory pat before the wire; Patriot Spirit, on his own, galloped out a mile in front. The dam won the Grade 1 Princess Rooney sprinting and the Fair Grounds Oaks over a route. She’s gotten several useful horses, though nothing of great quality. This one could be. Boy Magic Aug. 24, 1st race Delaware, MdSpWt38k Beyer: 75 6 furlongs 1:11.87 – 1st by 4 1/4 lengths gr.c.2, Good Magic – Ullapool, by Langfuhr Noteworthy siblings: None Auctions: Keeneland November breeding 2021 – $200,000; Keeneland September yearling 2022 – $210,000 Owner: Amo Racing Trainer: Jorge Delgado Breeder: Theta Holdings The Beyer barely qualifies for this exercise, and Boy Magic beat a short field at Delaware, but he makes the list for a couple of reasons. The colt shipped from Monmouth Park for his debut and Monmouth’s leading rider, Paco Lopez, shipped with him; this was the only horse Lopez rode on this card. Boy Magic made an early lead but wound up setting a pressured pace from the inside but it didn’t faze him. He changed leads perfectly and already had gone clear when Lopez got a little busy around the eighth pole, but Boy Magic still won very, very easily by a wide margin over a Godolphin first-timer who could be all right. His gallop-out was about as impressive as anything he did during the race, and this is a big, good-moving boy.  Amos Moses Hart Aug. 26, 8th race Remington, MdSpWt34k Beyer: 95 5 1/2 furlongs 1:03.74 – 1st by 16 1/2 lengths b.g.4, Outwork – Creative Spirit, by Smarty Jones Noteworthy siblings: Mesa Moon (Sky Mesa, foaled 2017 – multiple stakes-placed, $260K earnings) Auctions: None Owner: Cimarron TTT Farm Trainer: Scott Jones Breeder: Cimarron TTT Farm A 4-year-old first-time starter in Oklahoma? Amos Moses Hart ran too fast, too easily to be overlooked. The homebred gelding first posted a published work during autumn of his 2-year-old year, in 2021, and had several stints on the tab before this most recent one that led to a race. You can find fast bullet works going back many months; this looks like a horse who showed talent all along. It took Amos Moses Hart roughly two strides to assert his superiority while facing a full complement of rivals. He had a big lead into the turn, ran the bend athletically, and continued to widen his advantage without being asked at all. The jockey quickly pulled him up past the wire. Ran fast enough to be on private purchase radar, but at his age and with all the gaps in serious training, we’ll see.