Breakout Beyers: Magic Tap shows some flash in second-start maiden win

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

Magic Tap

June 2, 5th race Churchill, MdSpWt118K
Beyer: 94
1 1/16 miles 1:42.63 – 1st by 6 lengths
gr. c. 3, Tapit – American Story, by Ghostzapper
Noteworthy siblings: American Gal (Concord Point, foaled 2014) – multiple G1 winner, $912K earnings; Americanize (Concord Point, foaled 2013) – stakes winner, graded stakes-placed, 102 Beyer
Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2021 – $450,000
Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Breeder: Don Alberto Corp.

Despite having finished sixth, beaten more than 12 lengths in his lone previous start, a Keeneland maiden sprint, Magic Tap was bet down to 3-2 favoritism in what seemed like a solid field of maiden dirt route horses – and proceeded to make that look like a very square price. The betting support surely had much to do with the race the colt exited: Its sharp winner, Saudi Crown, returned to capture a first-level allowance with a 93 Beyer, while third-place Briterdayzahead got an 88 Beyer coming back to beat second-place Wild Thinker in a Churchill maiden sprint. Magic Tap started from post 1 and broke inward to the gap between the gate and the rail but quickly was corrected by Florent Geroux, going forward to set the pace. Ears pricked, he went through lively fractions while chased by second choice Mr McGregor, coming out of a good second in a Keeneland maiden race. Mr McGregor drew even with Magic Tap approaching the quarter pole and might even have poked his head in front, but Magic Tap quickly countered. With Geroux going to a right-handed crop, Magic Tap had opened up by more than a length at the furlong grounds and continued to stretch his lead to the wire, his final 2 1/2 furlongs in 30.51 was more than a half-second faster than anyone else’s finishing time. His workout foundation dates to last November. Expect him to continue progressing.

Redistricting

June 3, 7th race Belmont, MdSpWt90k
Beyer: 87
1 1/16 miles turf 1:40.79 – 1st by 4 3/4 lengths
b. c. 3, Kingman – Cascata, by Montjeu
Noteworthy siblings: None
Auctions: Tattersalls yearling 2021 – $147,000
Owner: Klaravich Stable
Trainer: Chad Brown
Breeder: Farm Cove Thoroughbreds

Not sure how much this English-bred first-time starter beat since the second and third choices didn’t fire, but it’s probably more important to focus on the horse’s performance itself, which was excellent. Purchased overseas lacking a standout pedigree, Redistricting posted published workouts in May, June, and August of his 2-year-old season but didn’t get on a steady pattern until this past March. No doubt, Chad Brown had him ready. The colt, a plain bay of modest scope, settled sweetly for Irad Ortiz Jr., traveled well into contention around the turn, was fanned four or five paths off the rail coming into the stretch, and then flew by the three horses still ahead of him. His final half-furlong went in a strong 5.83 and by that time the race already had been won. Redistricting has a low action and turns his legs over very rapidly. Between the way he settled and the way he finished you’d have to think there’s a future for this fellow.

Reiquist

May 29, 6th race Sana Anita, MdSpWt61k
Beyer: 87
6 1/2 furlongs 1:16.39 – 1st by 7 1/2 lengths
b. c. 3, Nyquist – Reiki Baby, by Curlin
Noteworthy siblings: None
Auctions: None
Owner: Cuyathy
Trainer: Tim Yakteen
Breeder: Cuyathy

A Bob Baffert-trained first-time starter named Truehood was the 2-5 favorite in this maiden sprint. He wound up beaten 15 lengths while overlooked second-time starter Requist won impressively. This colt’s debut had come nearly a year ago at Churchill Downs when Reiquist was trained by Bill Morey. Reiquist went off at 4-1 in a race won by precocious Gulfport but showed next to nothing. He worked back once afterward, then went dark until he showed up in mid-March breezing for Yakteen on the Southern California circuit. Evidently, those works either weren’t obviously striking or they escaped the attention of private clockers, because Reiquist went off at 17-1 in a six-horse field. He broke on top but wound up a pace-pressing second behind eventual runner-up Uncle Reg, who could not come close to matching Reiquist’s stride from the quarter pole to the five-sixteenths. Bounding away with an exuberant and somewhat high knee action, Reiquist drew powerfully clear before galloping out very well. He’s the second foal from a dam who started her career well enough but made only four starts, and he definitely looks like a stretch-out candidate.

Freeze the Fire

June 3, 9th race Pimlico, MdSpW58k
Beyer: 85
6 furlongs 1:10.13 – 1st by 1 3/4 lengths
gr. c. 3, Friesan Fire – Scenario Analysis, by Exchange Rate
Noteworthy siblings: None
Auctions: None
Owner: Step Up Thoroughbreds
Trainer: Cal Lynch
Breeder: Carl Lanier

This was Pimlico, after all, and on pedigree this colt is not cut out to be anything special, and he just barely makes the Breakout Beyer cutoff line. The 85 Beyer qualifies him as a late-spring 3-year-old, and while his margin of victory, while solid, wasn’t that wide, the runner-up, 1-2 favorite Dillinger, got all the way up to an 89 Beyer finishing second in a Santa Anita maiden race April 9 while trained by Bob Baffert. Freeze the Fire was a 14-1 shot shipping in from Fair Hill, debuting in blinkers with a very small cup and front bandages. He broke like a champ, went straight to the front, was hounded by Dillinger around the turn, but shrugged off the favorite’s bid to win comfortably. Eight lengths separated Dillinger and the third-place horse, lending some validity to Freeze the Fire’s performance.