Breakout Beyers: No doubts about Equivoque's talent in stirring debut win

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

Equivoque

April 8, 2nd race Keeneland, MdSpWt81k
Beyer: 94
7 furlongs 1:23.31 – 1st by 1 1/4 lengths
ch. c. 3, Good Magic – Unreachable, by Giant’s Causeway
Noteworthy siblings: Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid, foaled 2018) – G1 winner Japan, $2.2 million earnings
Auctions: Fasig-Tipton select yearling Saratoga 2021 – $325,000; Keeneland November horses of racing age 2022 – $240,000
Owner: CHC Inc
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Breeder: Saintsbury Farm

CHC Inc., this colt’s owner, is China Horse Club, and it was CHC listed as buyer at the sale last November after also being listed as buyer when the colt sold for substantially more money at a yearling auction. I don’t know what was going on there, but this horse, a first-time starter, can run, as was evident from video showing one of his workouts at Palm Beach Downs. Breaking from the outside post as the second choice in what appeared to be a typically strong Keeneland maiden race, Equivoque had enough pace to get into a stalking position on the backstretch, tracking the leaders while three to four paths wide around the turn. He came to the favorite, the speedy Mullikin, at the three-sixteenths pole, but Mullikin fought back. Past the eighth pole, Equivoque’s rider, Irad Ortiz Jr., dropped him inside to truly engage Mullikin, and it was only then, Ortiz throwing his left rein at his mount, that Equivoque very belatedly changed leads. As soon as he did, he put Mullikin to bed, going on to a very nice score. The pedigree sports an appealing combination of speed and stamina, and the promising colt is a Canadian-bred. King’s Plate, anyone?

Operation Torch

April 8, 11th race Keeneland, MdSpWt99k
Beyer: 85
1 1/8 miles turf 1:48.89 – 1st by 2 1/2 lengths
gr. c. 3, War Front – Photograph, by Unbridled’s Song
Noteworthy siblings: Civil Union (War Front, foaled 2015) – Grade 1 winner, multiple graded-stakes winner, $484K earnings; War Dispatch (War Front, foaled 2012) – stakes winner, $676K earnings
Owner: Joseph Allen
Trainer: Shug McGaughey
Breeder: Joseph Allen

Homebred has the pedigree to be a good grass horse and definitely looks like a good grass horse. I thought his debut second March 3 going 1 1/16 miles on the Gulfstream turf was just okay – but I was wrong. Operation Torch looks far better than just okay. Stretched to 1 1/8 miles, he broke on top, showing good route pace, but rated kindly for Irad Ortiz Jr., settling back into fourth through a solid early and middle pace. With about three furlongs to run, Ortiz let his mount out a notch and got an immediate, definitive response, Operation Torch quickly reeling in the three in front of him. He cruised to the front, was ridden along while drifting out just a touch at the eighth pole, and easily beat what looked like a good group on paper. This was one of those races where you could identify the winner a mile from the finish – that’s how strongly this colt was traveling. He has a turn of foot and staying power and looks a real prospect for summer stakes racing.

Navy Man

April 8, 4th race Santa Anita, MdSpWt67k
Beyer: 91
6 1/2 furlongs 1:15.38 – 1st by 1 1/4 lengths
b. c. 3, Bolt d’Oro – Gentle Humor, by Distorted Humor
Auctions: Keeneland November breeding 2020 -– $80,000; Keeneland September yearling 2021 – $475,000
Owner: William Warren and Suzanne Warren
Trainer: Michael McCarthy
Breeder: Gainesway Thoroughbreds

In this, Navy Man’s fifth start, he beat the odds-on Bob Baffert-trained favorite Dillinger, a legitimate horse who ran a winning race. What a relief that must have been to Navy Man’s connections, who had watched their horse run in four races won by Baffert-trained horses. Navy Man ran two very solid sprints to start his career last fall, then was less effective in a pair of routes over the winter. The second of those came with blinkers added, and trainer Michael McCarthy kept the hood on while cutting Navy Man back to one turn in his first start in 10 weeks. Voila! – career best. Navy Man broke alertly, was between horses down the backstretch and had the speed to keep pacesetting Dillinger right in his sights. Navy Man turned up the pressure on the pacesetter going to the five-sixteenths pole and after a long stretch battle finally wore down Dillinger to win going away. There were just five runners in this field but more than 11 lengths separated second from third, suggesting a legitimately fast race.