Breakout Beyers: Instant Coffee provides a jolt

Instant Coffee
Sept. 3, 8th race Saratoga, MdSpWt105k
Beyer: 85
7 furlongs 1:22.77 – 1st by 3/4 length
b. c. 2, Bolt d’Oro – Follow No One, by Uncle Mo
Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2021 - $200,000
Owner: Gold Square
Trainer: Brad Cox
Breeder: Sagamore Farm

There were three seven-furlong maiden races for 2-year-olds on the final Saturday of the 2022 Saratoga meet, and Instant Coffee’s winning time was easily the fastest of them. The pace in all three races was comparable and Instant Coffee clearly was the fastest 2-year-old maiden to race during Saratoga’s final week. He was all but ignored in the betting, going off a tick shy of 15-1, which seems a little crazy for a Brad Cox-trained colt that the trainer deemed worthy of taking to Saratoga. This performance was far from the typical flashy 2-year-old debut where the horse has a lot of gate speed, goes to the front, and wins on raw talent. Instant Coffee broke from post 1, didn’t have a lot of early speed, and had to be ridden to obtain any sort of position in the early stages. Jockey Dylan Davis stuck to the inside, continued to pump his arms around the turn, and Instant Coffee responded willingly to the steady encouragement, coming inside a tiring pacesetter in upper stretch as Davis twice went to a right-handed crop. Arthur’s Ride, a Bill Mott-trained second-time starter, was the only challenger, and his rider steered left a couple paths to engage Instant Coffee, but Instant Coffee was up for a battle and under strong hand urging through the final half-furlong he edged clear. There was a big gap of five lengths between place and show as Instant Coffee galloped out well enough. This is the first foal to race from a dam who was an allowance-class middle-distance horse, and longer races this year should be just fine.

National Treasure
Sept. 3, 6th race Del Mar, MdSpWt82.5k
Beyer: 82
6 1/2 furlongs 1:16.62 – 1st by 1 1/2 lengths
b. c. 2, Quality Road – Treasure, by Medaglia d’Oro
Auctions: Fasig-Tipton select Saratoga 2021 -- $500,000
Owner: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Breeder: Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds

Bob Baffert once again is loaded with 2-year-olds who can run, and National Treasure was his eighth 2-year-old maiden special weight winner of the Del Mar meet, which is pretty remarkable. (Huntingcoo the next day would raise the total to nine.) Was this colt Cave Rock (the Del Mar Futurity favorite) good? No, but he was good. Five horses vying for the lead stacked up across the track a furlong into this sprint, with National Treasure stuck down along the inside, but he had enough speed to emerge as the clear leader into the far turn, one horse chasing him. The pace was very fast, 44.37 for the half-mile, but National Treasure pushed on gamely, holding clear an inside bid from his stablemate Massimo, who wound up second, 1 3/4 lengths in front of Practical Move, who’d been second to Cave Rock last out. National Treasure had to work but definitely was not out gas, continuing with good energy on the gallop-out, which he won handily. The dam, who didn’t win a maiden race, was a sprinter, as was her dam, so we’ll see how far this colt wants to run.

Huntingcoco
Sept. 4, 1st race Del Mar, MdSpWt81k
Beyer: 76
5 1/2 furlongs 1:03.69 – 1st by 6 3/4 lengths
b. f. 2, Practical Joke – Sulis, by Maria’s Mon
Auctions: Keeneland November breeding 2020 - $45,000; Fasig-Tipton October yearling 2021 - $110,000; Fasig-Tipton spring 2yo 2022 - $200,000
Owner: Villa Rosa Farm and Harlo Racing
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Breeder: HnR Nothhaft Horse Racing

Whoops! Bettors made the Baffert-trained first-time starter Carla the odds-on favorite in this 5 1/2-furlong dash, but it was 7-1 Baffert first-timer Huntingcoco who proved tons the best. Huntingcoco never had to leave the rail as the fatigued pacesetter floated wide turning for home, but give the filly credit for showing speed, staying in the bridle ready to roll, and coming along the fence with no issue. Baffert chose to debut her in a short sprint, but the dam was a two-turn horse.

Powerful
Sept. 3, 2nd race Saratoga, MdSpWt105k
Beyer: 75
7 furlongs 1:23.58 – 1st by a half-length
b. c. 2, Nyquist – Antiquity, by Pulpit
Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2021 - $525,000
Owner: Courtlandt Farm
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Breeder: Parks Investment Group

A 75 Beyer this time of year is not going to blow anyone away, but putting the horse on this list because he appears to be well regarded by connections (he was a 2-1 favorite finishing second in his debut, also a 75 Beyer), has a nice enough way of going, and there were 10 lengths between the third- and fourth-place finishers in this nine-runner field. After six- and seven-furlong sprints, you’d think he gets a chance at least going one mile when he faces other winners for the first time.