Breakout Beyers: Munnys Gold in rarefied air

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

Munnys Gold

June 17, 3rd race Monmouth, MdSpWt56k

Beyer: 101

5 furlongs 56.60 – 1st by 14 1/2 lengths

b. f. 2, Munnings – Haraawa, by Medaglia d’Oro

Auctions: Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall mixed 2020 – $92,000; Fasig-Tipton Kentucky summer yearling 2021 – $300,000

Owner: Robert and Lawana Low

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Breeder: Nicksar Farms

This one was ridiculous. You just don’t see 2-year-olds – colts, fillies, or for that matter a sexless creature produced in a laboratory – produce this kind of number in June. It is rare enough for any 2-year-old to cross the 100 Beyer threshold, and when it does happen (rarer and rarer these days), it happens in late summer or fall. Not here, though. The filly was prepped for her debut with Todd Pletcher at Palm Beach Downs in Florida, and Pletcher said he sent her to Monmouth in part to keep the same exercise rider on a horse who, in the trainer’s words, can be headstrong in the morning. She broke sharply and made the front in a few strides but didn’t burst to an immediate open-lengths lead, instead gradually widening around the turn while racing under mild restraint and with her ears pinned. Munnys Gold cornered perfectly into the homestretch and under nearly no urging got her final furlong in a blistering 11.38 seconds, a full 1.45 seconds better than the next-fastest finishing time. That’s unbelievable. Will she relax? Will she run farther than six furlongs? Who knows, but it should be interesting to find out. The Schuylerville at Saratoga should be next.

Contemporary Art

June 17, 1st race Belmont, MdSpWt90k

Beyer: 86

1 1/8 miles turf 1:49.35 – 1st by 4 1/2 lengths

b. f. 3, Dubawi – Cover Song, by Fastnet Rock

Owner: Bobby Flay

Trainer: Chad Brown

Breeder: B. Flay Thoroughbreds

The filly was 3-2 in her career debut and lost by a neck, and I’m sure connections were surprised at the defeat since she clearly is a runner. She’s petite and was somewhat late to debut, but this was a very appealing maiden win, albeit with a perfect trip and in a relatively short field. Contemporary Art sat inside behind the leader, poised and in the bit, and when the outside pace-presser kindly faded before the three-furlong pole, it allowed Flavien Prat on this filly to come off the fence and attack the slow-pacesetting leader. That she did, pushing past in upper stretch thanks to running her quarter-mile between the three-quarters and the one-mile mark in 22.58, nearly a half-second faster than any of her rivals. She followed that with an 11.54 final furlong, also best in the race, for a final three furlongs in 34.12 – racehorse finishing time. Her sire is among the elite globally and check out this roster of broodmare sires in the female family: Fastnet Rock, Galileo, Storm Cat, Mr. Prospector.

Stone Silent

June 18, 3rd race Santa Anita, Debutante100k

Beyer: 79

5 furlongs 58.28 – 1st by 3 1/4 lengths

b. f. 2, Adios Charlie – Travelator, by A.P. Jet

Noteworthy siblings: Hollywood Jet (Uncaptured, b. 2018) – stakes winner, 9 for 15 lifetime, $231K earnings

Auctions: OBS March 2022 2-year-old – $410,000

Owner: Talla Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds

Trainer: John Sadler

Breeder: William Terrell and Frank De Savino

With the win-early pedigree, the $410,000 2-year-old sales price, and a veteran, accomplished trainer choosing to debut the filly in a $100,000 stakes race, you had to know Stone Silent was very well meant. Which she was, and at fair 3-1 odds, too. She wore blinkers and a shadow roll, had very good gate speed to open a clear early lead, and had this race put to bed in upper stretch. Tom’s Regret, the odds-on favorite coming off a win in the Debutante at Churchill, tried to get involved late but never came close to warming up Stone Silent. The filly is the ninth foal to race from a dam who was an excellent dirt sprinter. There’s little chance this filly will run long, but with her speed and advanced status for her age, she can do just fine in one-turn contests.

Just Cindy

June 17, 7th race Churchill, MdSpWt107k

Beyer: 70

5 1/2 furlongs 1:04.34 – 1st by 2 1/4 lengths

b. f. 2, Justify – Jenda’s Agenda, by Proud Citizen

Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2021 – $140,000 (RNA)

Owner: Clarkland Farm

Trainer: Eddie Kenneally

Breeder: Clarkland Farm

The third winner for first-crop sire (and Triple Crown hero) Justify, and the 70 Beyer was the highest. She’d clearly turned some heads in the morning to go off at 6-5 for a barn not especially known for sending live early-season 2-year-old first-timers, and what most impressed about Just Cindy’s performance was the way she raced. So many 2-year-old debut winners succeed mainly with a display of dominant early speed, but this filly, while not slow out of the gate, just had moderate early pace and found herself stalking the leaders while racing between rivals in fairly tight quarters going into the turn. She eventually was maneuvered outside, getting cover while racing around the bend, and launched her attack before the quarter pole, changing leads professionally and drawing away from an enervated inside-speed horse with a professional run to the wire. She’s the first foal to race from a dam who topped out at an 85 Beyer winning a 1 1/16-mile allowance race. The pedigree as well as the horse herself in action suggest longer distances this year will be no major issue.

Repealing

June 18, 11th race Churchill, MdSpWt88k

Beyer: 88

5 1/2 furlongs 1:03.73 – 1st by 3 1/2 lengths

b. f. 3, Constitution – O So Appealing, by Forestry

Noteworthy siblings: No Need to Appeal (Tapizar b. 2014) – stakes-placed, $165K earnings

Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2020 – $160,000

Owner: Bal Mar Equine

Trainer: Al Stall Jr.

Breeder: Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds

The connections thought enough of this filly that they sent her to Saratoga to debut as a 2-year-old last summer. There, on July 15, she had the misfortune of running into Echo Zulu while breaking from the rail and lacking contending speed. She didn’t post any 2-year-old workouts following the debut, and the filly who was back in action as a June 3-year-old looked like a new horse. A good break led to a sweet stalk-and-pounce trip, and while the jockey had to really ask her to change leads, she eventually did so at the furlong grounds, subsequently producing one last burst that carried her so far clear her rider was able to ease her across the wire. This wasn’t a knock-your-socks-off kind of performance – but it was very encouraging and figures to lead to another Saratoga start.