Breakout Beyers: Flightline cleared for takeoff

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

Flightline

April 24, 7th race Santa Anita, MdSpWt62k

Beyer: 105

6f 1:08.75, 1st by 13 1/2 lengths

b. c. 3, Tapit – Feathered, by Indian Charlie

Auctions: Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling 2019 – $1,000,000

Owner: Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds

Trainer: John Sadler

Breeder: Summer Wind Farm

Absolutely, totally, and completely ridiculous. You won’t see a stronger debut performance than this. Broke just a hair slow but got to the front a few strides later and never looked back. Had the jockey, Flavien Prat, looked back approaching the wire, he’d have seen nothing but empty real estate behind him as Flightline, one of the most exciting 3-year-olds seen in quite some time, had no one near him. Set splits of 21.59 and 44.42, something you’d expect to see from stakes-quality sprinters and did it while appearing never to get out of second gear. Widened past the three-furlong marker and into the stretch without overtly being asked, executed a perfect lead change, and continued to increase his advantage to the wire while under no pressure whatsoever. What’s more, this super-charged six furlongs came from a colt that neither looks like a sprinter nor is bred like one. Sire Tapit, of course, throws route horses and his dam, Feathered, probably ran her very best race going 1 1/4 miles on turf in the 2015 American Oaks. Goes well enough, though left knee action might just be slightly less than ideal. Can’t quibble with anything here, in the end, and really looking forward seeing how things progress.

First Captain

April 24, 1st race Belmont, MdSpWt94k

Beyer: 93

7f 1:23.56, 1st by 3/4 length

ch. c. 3, Curlin – America, by A.P. Indy

Auctions: Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling 2019 – $1,500,000

Owner: West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm, Bobby Flay, Woodford Racing

Trainer: Shug McGaughey

Breeder: Bobby Flay

The margins were three-quarters, three, 2 3/4, 1 3/4, and with a figure this high you often will find larger gaps between runners. The two highest-placed horses that already had raced produced career-best figures, but when you see graded stakes-class Looking at Bikinis go seven furlongs in 1:23.45 just a few races later, it’s hard to view the Beyer here as anything but legit. First Captain not only ran fast, he’d have won by a wider margin if not for trouble past the three-furlong pole. Racing inside and behind pacesetting Mahaamel, who wound up second with a 92 Beyer in his career debut, First Captain was stoked up for his run, responding immediately past the three-furlong pole, but no room really existed for that run to go anywhere and First Captain had to be mildly checked. It took another half-furlong for a gap to open, and at the eighth pole it looked like First Captain had no shot to win, but as Mahaamel shortened his stride First Captain found his best, surging to victory in the final 100 yards. No “noteworthy siblings” because he’s the first foal from a stakes-winning dam whose career-best Beyer, 91, came in the 1 1/8-mile Personal Ensign Stakes. The dam’s side has a lot of turf, plenty of stamina, and this almost certainly is a route horse in waiting – potentially a very good one, too.

Sibelius

April 23, 8th race Keeneland, MdSpWt78k

Beyer: 88

ch. g. 3, Not This Time – Fiery Pulpit, by Pulpit

6 1/2f 1:16.32, 1st by three-quarters length

Auctions: Keeneland November breeding 2018 – $100,000; Keeneland January all ages 2019 – $62,000 RNA; Keeneland September yearling 2019 – $75,000 RNA

Owner: J Park Racing and Delia Nash

Trainer: Jeremiah O’Dwyer

Breeder: Taylor Brothers Properties, Pollock Farms, Patrick Hayne, et al

Made a solid run from off the pace in a decent Laurel Park debut, but hard to see this display of speed coming off that performance. Made the front, set a strong pace, had to fend off a challenge from the three-furlong marker to midstretch from the eventual third-place finisher, and still came home with good energy in what seemed a legitimately fast race. It’s funny looking at the physical appearance of this clearly capable gelding compared to the top horse in this week’s listing, Flightline: This guy is about half the size, really. Fast horses come in different shapes and sizes, of course, and on pedigree this horse should get a middle distance around two turns, with turf, perhaps, as an option at some point.

Happymac

April 30, 11th race Oaklawn, MdSpWt93k

Beyer: 88

5 1/2f 1:03.52, 1st by 10 1/4 lengths

b. c. 3, Runhappy – True Kiss, by Is It True

Noteworthy siblings: Shancelot (Shanghai Bobby) – G2 Amsterdam winner, 2nd BC Sprint; One True Kiss (Warrior’s Reward) – graded stakes-placed

Owner: Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Madaket Stable, Spendthrift Farm

Trainer: Steven Asmussen

Breeders: Charles Muth, Patrick Murphy, Cindy Olsen

Ran a couple of solid if losing races at age 2, but nothing like his two starts this year. No Lasix in 2020 and Lasix in 2021, but maturity probably also played a part. Ran into the very talented Baffert charge Following Sea in his 2021 bow and everyone entered against him on this day ran into a buzz saw. Cleared off early, set a strong pace, and simply whistled home. The dam is a sister to the excellent middle-distance stakes horse Silver Max, but the pedigree for this individual leans sprint and just look at how fast the colt was clearing the maiden ranks in a short sprint. If it walks like a sprinter and quacks like a sprinter, it probably is a sprinter.

River Dog

May 2, 5th race Belmont, New York-bred MdSpWt75k

Beyer: 96

6f 1:09.05, 1st by 7 lengths

b. c. 3, Twirling Candy – Sterling Forest, by Forest Wildcat

Owner: Robert Hahn

Trainer: Jeremiah Englehart

Breeder: Robert Hahn

Sure, a New York-bred maiden-special, but this was a strong performance even by open-maiden standards, and it was not done with an easy on-the-lead trip. Broke from the rail and was away a touch slow, winding up behind two rivals while stuck down at the fence, full of run. Jockey had a very stern hold on his mount, who did assent to being rated until a gap along the fence popped open at about the five-sixteenths pole. River Dog took it, went through with a big rush, and never looked back. Ran a very fast fifth furlong (wind-aided) and got his final quarter in a robust 23.92 seconds. Homebred has some blue blood behind him but also a bevy of sprint sires on both sides of the pedigree.