Breakout Beyers: Program Trading finishes fast; can handle tougher

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

Program Trading

May 14, 10th race Monmouth, MdSpWt56K
Beyer: 84
1 1/16 miles turf 1:41.13 – 1st by 5 lengths
b. c. 3, Lope de Vega – Dreamlike, by Oasis Dream
Noteworthy siblings: None
Auctions: Tattersalls October 2021 – $356,551
Owner: Klaravich Stables
Trainer: Chad Brown
Breeder: Fittocks Stud and Arrow Farm and Stud

Not sure why Brown and Klaravich chose to debut this colt in New Jersey rather than New York. He was sent to Monmouth Park for his final work after prepping at Payson Park over the winter rather than going to a Brown string at Belmont Park or Saratoga. Maybe there was no race in the Belmont condition book that fit his timing, but in any case, if Brown has many better maiden turf route runners than Program Trading, watch out, because this colt can run. Looks like he came very close to making the races last summer at Saratoga, but the breeze pattern ended without a start and he didn’t resume timed workouts until this past winter. Brown had a second first-timer here, Sacred Rhyme, a Peter Brant colt who wound up third, but Program Trading very much was the live one. Breaking from post 3, he tried to get a little strong into the first turn but soon settled for his rider, racing fourth behind a fast pace while saving ground. Program Trading came to the quarter pole full of run, was mildly bothered when the leader took the corner poorly and came out into his path, but changed leads once in the clear, subsequently rocketing away from the rest of the field with a final half-furlong in 5.96 seconds. Won’t be surprised if the colt next appears on a brighter stage.

Briterdayzahead

May 21, 7th race Churchill, MdSpWt95k
Beyer: 87
5 1/2 furlongs 1:03.51 – 1st by 4 1/4 lengths
b. c. 3, Girvin – Pure Grey, by Too Much Bling
Noteworthy siblings: None
Auctions: None
Owner: Brad Grady
Trainer: Joe Sharp
Breeder: Brad Grady and Misty Grady

Grady and Sharp took this homebred to Saratoga last summer, meaning he was highly regarded all along, but he finished a distant fifth after setting the pace in a seven-furlong maiden contest. No action again until Keeneland this spring, where Briterdayzahead appeared basically to run off during the early and middle stages, going as fast as he could before tiring to third. Still, that was much better than Saratoga, and Sharp made a move that might have worked well (that or the colt is just learning to race) by removing blinkers for this third start. Here, Briterdayzahead was happy to sit second behind the pacesetter, attacking between the five-sixteenths and the quarter pole, taking the measure of his pace rival, and drawing clear to win easily. He was easily fastest over the last 3 1/2 furlongs after running the second-fastest opening quarter mile – good stuff. There’s some excellent form coming out of this race, too. Briterdayzahead in this win beat Wild Thinker, who had finished one place in front of him at Keeneland in the maiden race won by the Brad Cox-trained firster Saudi Crown, who came back to win a first-level allowance with a 92 Beyer. And Wild Thinker in his debut ran into another very fast Cox-trained first-timer, Squire Creek. So, there’s a lot saying this was a legitimately fast race. Do note the breakthrough came on a cut-back to 5 1/2 furlongs, and Briterdayzahead’s best days likely come in sprints.

Mistical Curlin

May 20, 11th race Belmont, MdSpWt90k
Beyer: 106
1 mile (sloppy, sealed) 1:35.90 – 1st by 19 lengths
ch. c. 4, Curlin – Mistical Plan, by Game Plan
Noteworthy siblings: None
Auctions: Fasig-Tipton Kentucky 2020 yearling – $375,000
Owner: Andrew Gurdon, Anil Poya, Gustavo Rodriguez
Trainer: Gustavo Rodriguez
Breeder: Blue Heaven Farm

Not going to make too much of this performance. The sloppy, sealed Belmont track became increasingly speed favoring as this card wore on, and the latter races all produced huge margins of victory – though not to this extent. Mistical Curlin rode the speed bias and clearly got over the wet track very well, and given his history, it’s likely he never runs this fast again in his career. That said, 19 lengths is 19 lengths and a 106 Beyer is a 106 Beyer – we can’t just ignore it. His true level likely sits between this radical outlier and the form of a horse who came into the race as the fifth choice among six runners after 11 losses and a $20,000 claim last summer. Mistical Curlin raced twice, not well, at age 2, then didn’t start again for more than a year. He got to an 85 Beyer in a second-place maiden-special-weight finish last November at Aqueduct and had run decently last out returning from a winter break. The horses a mile behind him here look like solid older New York maidens, but we have to categorize this showing as more circumstantial than predictive.

Ever a Rebel

May 19, 6th race Santa Anita, MSW/MCL41K
Beyer: 88
1 mile 1:37.57 – 1st by 1 3/4
b. c. 3, Bolt d’Oro – Money Madness, by Rahy
Noteworthy siblings: Boardroom (Commissioner, foaled 2017) – multiple graded stakes winner, $396K earnings
Auctions: Keeneland November breeding 2020 – $70,000; Keeneland September yearling 2021 – $130,000
Owner: Rockingham Ranch and Talla Racing
Trainer: Phil D’Amato
Breeder: Polo Green Stable

The speed figure came back solid, but this was a maiden race open to horses entered for a tag as low as $40,000 and included just six other horses. Moreover, Ever a Rebel got a very good trip pressing the leader and taking over in upper stretch. As a whole, the performance was far more solid than spectacular. Still, a few things are worth noting. This was the colt’s third start since a trainer change, second start – his two best races – in blinkers, and his first time trying two turns.