Breakout Beyers: Hypersport zooms to victory

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

Hypersport

Dec. 3, 7th race Oaklawn, MdSpWt84k

Beyer: 88

6f 1:09.66 – 1st by 4 lengths

b. f. 2, Blame – Good Witch Glinda, by Unbridled’s Song

Auctions: Keeneland November breeding 2019 – $25,000; Keeneland September yearling 2020 – $100,000

Owner: Muddy Waters Stables

Trainer: Ingrid Mason

Breeder: Carrie Ann Walker

Hypersport, a second-time starter favored here off a good debut second at Keeneland, set a strong pace that left the pressure gasping for air through the final furlong, and the winning time was legitimately quick. One race later, Kavod won a 2-year-old stakes race with a final time of 1:09.97, and two races later, an older allowance horse went the distance in 1:10.11. Hypersport had some mild early pace pressure but cornered nicely, changed leads right on cue, and with minimal encouragement (a couple crops both right- and left-handed) drew away nicely in the late stages, galloping out like a filly who had something left. On the bare face of the pedigree a middle distance seems within her range, though the dam never went beyond 6 1/2 furlongs in a six-start career. Second dam Foaming Brine never raced but was a sister to high-level racehorse and successful sire End Sweep.

Marketsegmentation

Dec. 4, 5th race Aqueduct, MdSpWt80k

Beyer: 76

1 1/16M turf 1:42.74 – 1st by 2 1/4 lengths

b. f. 2, American Pharoah – Lonelily, by Medaglia d’Oro

Auctions: Keeneland November breeding 2019 – $200,000; Keeneland September yearling 2020 – $120,000 (RNA)

Owner: Klaravich Stables

Trainer: Chad Brown

Breeder: Marcus Stables

There’s an interesting auction history here, as this filly fetched a big number as a weanling but failed to meet her reserve when cataloged as a Keeneland September yearling. It looks like the initial buyers were on the right track. She won easily in this, her career debut, albeit with about as perfect a trip as one could imagine. This was not one of Irad Ortiz Jr.’s controversial rides from the racing week at Aqueduct, Ortiz settling the filly into an inside stalking position, racing in the clear down the backstretch before working himself into the pocket by the three-furlong marker. Approaching the quarter pole, Ortiz feinted pulling back and swinging outside for a final run but really was just waiting for traffic to clear, coming off the fence when there was sufficient room between the pacesetter and the horses chasing on the outside. His mount quickly pounced, showed a nice turn of foot, and had this race in the bag a half-furlong out. Look for her in Florida, perhaps in a race like the $100,000 Ginger Brew on Jan. 1 at Gulfstream.

Sir London

Dec. 4, 1st race Los Alamitos, MdSpWt51k

Beyer: 80

1M 1:37.63 (hand timed) – 1st by 10 lengths

b. c. 2, Malibu Moon – Seeking Atlantis, by Seeking the Gold

Noteworthy siblings: Castellani (Quality Road) – multiple stakes-placed, $115K in earnings; Seeking Her Glory (Giant’s Causeway) – graded stakes-placed, $97K in earnings

Auctions: Keeneland January all ages 2020 – $135,000 (RNA); FTI spring 2-year-old 2021 – $700,000

Owner: AMO Racing USA and Qatar Racing Limited

Trainer: Simon Callaghan

Breeder: Castleton Lyons and Kilboy Estate

Third-time starter had been second going six furlongs at Santa Anita, second going 6 1/2 at Del Mar, and was the 3-10 favorite in this, his two-turn debut. Broke from the rail and by the time a horse came to pressure him at the head of the backstretch Sir London had gotten away with a comfortable opening quarter-mile. He shrugged off the pace pressure at about the five-sixteenths pole and by the time he straightened for home had a lead of several lengths, drawing away, after changing leads a few strides late, under no urging. The Teletimer fractions were fine through the six-furlong sprint but then went haywire and the hand-timing includes the seven-furlong fraction and the final clocking. Besides the listed auctions, this colt was entered in and withdrawn from three other sales. He looks like a strong-galloping type who could stay at least nine furlongs on dirt, and there are a number of pedigree clues – Seeking the Gold and Seattle Slew appear as broodmare sires – suggesting that will be the case.

Surreal Fantasy

Dec. 4, 1st race Tampa Bay, MdSpWt30k

Beyer: 79

1M 40 yards 1:41.29 – 1st by 13 lengths

b. f. 2, Outwork – Fantasy Forest, by Forestry

Noteworthy siblings: Last Judgment (Congrats) – multiple GSW, $550K in earnings, 103 Beyer

Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2020 – $70,000

Owner: Elena Racing and Gelfenstein Farm

Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.

Breeder: Woodford Thoroughbreds

This filly was beaten nearly 20 lengths in her debut, a seven-furlong Gulfstream sprint Nov. 6, but looked like an entirely different animal going to the front in this two-turn maiden race. She made the lead from post 1, clipped around there at a decent tempo while always clear and changed leads right on cue in upper stretch, by which point victory was nothing more than a formality. The jockey cropped her once left-handed, the filly’s ears immediately shooting up, and there’s likely still some greenness to be worked out. She wasn’t allowed to gallop out much, but we already say she stays. Not huge, not a beautiful mover – just very effective on the day.

Warp Ride

Dec. 4, 6th race Woodbine, MdSpWt75k

Beyer: 78

6f Tapeta 1:10.13 – 1st by 2 lengths

b. g. 2, Astern – Riding Point, by Speightstown

Noteworthy siblings: Acting Out (Blame) – stakes-placed, $140K in earnings

Owner: Joey Gee Thoroughbreds

Trainer: Andrew Smith

Breeder: Joey Gee Thoroughbreds

Very much a fast-early, slow-late race shape, albeit with an impressive showing from the front-running winner, who broke from the far outside post. Warp Ride came out of the gate on top and went to the lead, getting his first half-mile in a rapid 44.53 seconds, and though he required 25.50 to cover the final quarter, nobody got close to him, and he actually won the gallop-out. He raced handily, and his athletic cornering into the turn blew the race open, though Warp Ride failed to change leads until about the furlong grounds.