Each week in this space, the top Beyer performances by maiden winners will be featured and analyzed. Click here for a complete archive. Northern Invader  July 1, 3rd race Belmont, MdSpWt90k Beyer: 94 1 mile turf 1:33.76 – 1st by 8 lenghts ch.c.3, Collected – Androeah, by Arch Noteworthy siblings: None Auctions: Keeneland November breeding 2020 – $65,000; Fasig-Tipton summer yearling 2021 – $160,000; OBS March 2022 – $310,000 Owner: West Point Thoroughbreds and David Ingordo Trainer: Cherie DeVaux Breeder: Anderson Farms Ontario and Peter Berglar Racing Interests Second in his first two starts, seven-furlong dirt races in Kentucky, Northern Invader tried turf for the first time here. Safe to say he liked it. Bet down to 4-5 (yes – bet down seems a fair categorization, because there was reason, on pedigree alone, to wonder if he’d take to the grass), Northern Invader broke well enough but drifted right a little bit and got scrummed into a solid bump/course correction a few strides in. It was smooth sailing from there on out. The colt traveled beautifully while in hand around the turn, swallowed up the pacesetters without being asked for more than a touch, and widened the lead quickly in upper stretch under his own courage. No world-beaters behind him, but this was the kind of maiden win a future stakes horse puts forth. He is an Ontario-bred, and the King’s Plate on Aug. 20 could come into play, one imagines. And while it was stated he doesn’t have an obvious turf pedigree, there are grass influences scattered all over his first four generations. Bramito July 2, 10th race Ellis Park, MdSpWt120k Beyer: 87 7 furlongs (sloppy/sealed) 1:23.02 – 1st by 2 1/4 lengths b.c.3, Gun Runner – R Gypsy Gold, by Bernardini Noteworthy siblings: None Auctions: Fasig-Tipton October yearling 2021 – $75,000; Fasig-Tipton March select 2yo 2022 – $400,000 Owner: John Oxley Trainer: Steve Asmussen Breeder: Three Chimneys Farm First, the caveat. This was a sloppy, sealed track where the rail appeared golden, and after breaking from post 1, Bramito never was more than a path and a half off the fence. It looked like past the quarter pole he’d wind up rallying outside the pacesetter, but that horse drifted off the fence, allowing Bramito clear passage. He didn’t break especially fast, which often means trouble for a first-time starter on a wet track, but whatever kickback he took didn’t bother the colt, who looked comfortable start to finish. Once clear before the eighth pole, he finished with very good energy and continued drawing away through the gallop-out. Little doubt that with 10 five-furlong workouts behind him, Bramito came into this a pretty fit horse. Can’t see on pedigree why he can’t get a middle distance – but who will it be for? Perhaps not current connections, as Bramito is entered in the upcoming Fasig-Tipton July horses of racing age sale. Wickline June 25, 7th race Los Alamitos Racecourse, MdSpWt45k Beyer: 86 6 1/2 furlongs 1:15.24 – 1st by 2 lengths gr.c.3, Twirling Candy – Mercurial, by Mizzen Mast Noteworthy siblings: None Auctions: Keeneland November breeding 2020 – $80,000; Keeneland September yearling 2021 – $275,000 Owner: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables; Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan Trainer: Bob Baffert Breeder: Phalaris Wickline was bet to 4-5 making his career debut and pretty much ran to that price. Start with this: There is plenty of this colt. He dwarfed the pace rival to his inside and looked like an especially strong, powerful specimen. Obviously late to make the races, he was working steadily during spring and early summer 2022 before the breezes ceased. Back on the tab this spring, he appears to have trained steadily into this. Broke just all right but had a nice outside draw that afforded him a clean pressing trip after the rider urged him to contest the pace. Wickline clearly has plenty of pace, but his stride rhythm and the way he went about his business suggested a route horse winning nicely in a sprint race – a good sign, indeed. Not a lot of immediate pedigree clues as he’s the first foal to race from an unraced dam. He was entered in a July sale in Kentucky but appears to have been withdrawn.