Breakout Beyers: Missy P. shows special talent and has pedigree to back it up

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

Missy P.

March 12, 4th race Santa Anita, MdSpWt62k

Beyer: 90

5 1/2f 1:03.71, 1st by 9 1/2 lengths

b. f. 3, Into Mischief – Greer Lynn, by Speightstown

Noteworthy siblings: Mia Mischief (Into Mischief) – multiple graded stakes winner, G1 winner, $2.74M earnings; Lawton (Archarcharch) – $284K earnings, 93 Beyer

Owner: Spendthrift Farm

Trainer: Richard Mandella

Breeder: Spendthrift Farm

Doubt I have ever seen a horse win a race this easily. Absolutely ridiculous. Was bet to run like this, too, going off at 2-5 in her career debut. Showed good gate speed to press the pace outside the other front-runner while racing in hand as the top two separated themselves from the rest of the runners around the turn. Flavien Prat on Missy P. casually flipped the reins once, moved his hands slightly in upper stretch, and with no visible effort, Missy P. left her pace rival floundering. Even as she was widening mightily to the wire, the filly appeared to be cantering through a park. Smooth, efficient, but fairly short stride for a filly who’s accomplished sibling, Mia Mischief, strictly was a sprinter – not that there’s anything wrong with that. Very exciting debut.

Triple Tap

March 13, 2nd race Santa Anita, MdSpWt59k

Beyer: 83

7f 1:23.12, 1st by 4 1/4 lengths

ch. c. 3, Tapit – Littleprincessemma, by Yankee Gentleman

Noteworthy siblings: American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) – Triple Crown winner, BC Classic winner, Horse of the Year, 8-time G1 winner; Chasing Yesterday (Tapit) – G1 winner, multiple stakes winner

Owner: Summer Wind Equine

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Breeder: Summer Wind Equine

Eagerly awaited debut for first sibling of American Pharoah since 2016 foal Chasing Yesterday to make the races, and the colt did not disappoint. The figure wasn’t all that, but in my estimation the performance surpassed the number. Triple Tap had only three rivals here and got an ideal trip pressing the inside pace while racing in the clear. He was fairly hard held down the backstretch and into the turn, the rider seemingly intent on not letting him do too much, too soon. In fact, the plan seemed to be to keep the colt somewhat restrained until midstretch, and it was not until somewhere between the three-sixteenths and the eighth pole that Flavien Prat asked for something. Triple Tap had by then already won the race, and connections seemingly had future engagements in mind with what they asked of him. Prat slapped the reins, asking Triple Tap for more run, and the colt responded with a smooth extension to the finish, his final half-furlong and the subsequent long gallop-out the most impressive parts of his performance and a good sign that two turns next time out, if that’s what’s asked of him, will not pose much of a challenge. Did take a bit of time to make debut, and he was taken out of the Keeneland September 2019 yearling auction – just a couple things to think about going forward.

Bears Watching

March 13, 7th race Gulfstream, MdSpWt45k

Beyer: 83

7f 1:22.95, 1st by 7 1/4 lengths

b. c. 3, Karakontie – Reunited, by Dixie Union

Noteworthy siblings: Code of Honor (Noble Mission) – Multiple G1 winner, $2.7M earnings

Owner: William S. Farish

Trainer: Shug McGaughey

Breeder: W.S. Farish

For whatever reason, this horse was entered and withdrawn from two yearling sales and a 2-year-old in training sale. He shows a single May 2020 workout at Lone Star, then returned to the tab this past December at Payson Park. Obviously can run, however, and a good debut third was followed by this better maiden win. Bears Watching did not get anything like an ideal trip, despite the wide margin of victory. He broke well enough but wound up caught between rivals, a claustrophobic spot down the backstretch, ceding the front to three horses and eventually getting stuck behind them into the far turn and on past the three-furlong marker. Jockey Jose Ortiz waited, gave things a chance to open up, and finally said, “forget about that,” steering outside the horses in front of him approaching the homestretch. Bears Watching, now at least four paths wide, jumped on that trio thanks to a nice turn of foot, and his momentum quickly carried him to a big lead. This race had been decided long before the finish, and the colt kept to a steady rhythm while essentially just galloping home. Pedigree suggests a miler type, and that’s what he looked like in this race. Definitely a colt that bears watching.

Aunt Kat

March 13, 3rd race Aqueduct, MdSpWt80k

Beyer: 95

6 1/2f 1:18.62, 1st by 9 1/2 lengths

b. f. 4, Uncle Mo – Carolyn’s Cat, by Forestry

Noteworthy siblings: Mufajaah (Tapit) – graded stakes winner, $267K earnings

Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2018 – $410,000

Owner: Carl Pollard

Trainer: Bill Mott

Breeder: Bonne Chance Farm

Four-year-old maiden, short field, front-running winner, modest raw time – the combination of factors that should cause one to cast a cold eye on the result. Yet the filly, racing for the first time in 2 1/2 months, won by a pole, and there was nothing close to an inside speed bias carrying her home. Dueled inside the favorite, put that rival away at the quarter pole, and jogged from there. Her two previous races this winter looked nothing like this performance. Owner did pay a pretty penny for her at a yearling sale. Tough to give a 4-year-old maiden a “breakout performance,” but 95 is a serious Beyer.

Dr B

March 9, 8th race Parx, MdSpWt42k

Beyer: 84

6f 1:11.18, 1st by 9 1/4 lengths

b.c.3, Liam’s Map – Boleyn, by Proud Citizen

Noteworthy siblings: Hi Holiday (Harlan’s Holiday) – stakes winner, $113K earnings

Owner: Cash Is King Racing and LC Racing

Trainer: Butch Reid

Breeder: Eico Ventures

Debuted in December with a very average third but was dialed in for his second start. Broke sharply, ran along on a clear lead and a long rein, was asked without the crop to open up at the head of the homestretch, and did so with energetic, bounding, appealing strides. Bred to at least get a mile. How he responds to real competition and a more demanding race ecosystem, we have no idea, but for a weekday winner in Pennsylvania, he rates pretty