Breakout Beyers: Shirl’s Speight an eye-opener

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

Shirl’s Speight

July 4, 10th race, Woodbine, MdSpWt80k
Beyer: 88
7f, turf firm, 1:19.97, 1st by 8 lengths
b. c. 3, Speightstown–Perfect Shirl, by Perfect Soul
Noteworthy siblings: None
Auctions: None
Owner: Charles Fipke
Trainer: Roger Attfield
Breeder: Charles Fipke

First-time starter cracked 1:20 for seven furlongs, but wow, the Woodbine course was incredibly fast this card. That being said, this colt obviously caught the eye, showing very good early speed while racing in hand and drawing steadily away through the homestretch. Maybe the jockey chirped to him and moved his hands ever so slightly, but that was all the encouragement he got. And then the gallop-out, where Shirl’s Speight appeared to be disappearing into the distance down the backstretch as the other horses barely made it around the turn. He’ll go farther, and the dam, who has yet to produce a good horse, was a Grade 1 stakes winner on turf with two siblings who hit the same level of accomplishment.

Mr Jaggers

July 4, 8th race, Belmont, MdSpWt64k
Beyer: 87
1 1/8M, turf firm, 1:49.37, 1st by length
b. c. 3, Twirling Candy–Miss Havisham, by Dynaformer
Noteworthy siblings: None
Auctions: None
Owner: Pam and Marty Wygod
Trainer: Bill Mott
Breeder: Pam and Marty Wygod

Typical Bill Mott racing pattern with steady, incremental improvement leading to a nice fifth-start maiden victory. The pair of 2-year-old tries last summer were decent, he tried dirt in his 3-year-old debut, and then caught a yielding course going one mile in the start before this one. Given the way he stayed on in this nine-furlong contest, that mile might have been too short, and when a late-running horse started coming to him in the final yards, he gave one more little burst, hinting the tank was not on empty. Did fall into a perfect trip here and was a short price but liked the performance and think there’s more to come from this colt.

Salow

July 3, 10th race, Gulfstream, MdSpWt40k
Beyer: 81
1M, turf firm, 1:34.53, 1st by 2 3/4 lengths
ch. c. 3, Distorted Humor–Eve Giselle, by Five Star Day
Noteworthy siblings: None
Auctions: Keeneland September 2018, $390,000
Owner: Zayat Stable
Trainer: Wesley Ward
Breeder: Harry Papaleo

To be determined regarding quality, as this was not a world-class maiden race, but the horse ran quite well, considering the circumstances. Wide draw forced him to take back and he rated nicely for the jockey while always traveling in the bridle. The rider took him off the fence and into the No. 2 path around the far turn as the horse in front of him showed signs of fading, Salow then came between horses in a fairly tight spot for a long-bodied colt and showed a nifty turn of foot quickening to the leader in upper stretch before comfortably finishing the job.

Beacon Hill

June 30, 1st race, Indiana Grand, MdSpWt31k
Beyer: 83
1M 70 yds., dirt fast, 1:42.34, 1st by 5 3/4
b. c. 3, Blame–My Mammy, by Came Home
Noteworthy siblings: Out Ffor a Spin (G1 Ashland); Sweet Victory (multiple stakes winner); Ferdinanda (stakes winner)
Auctions: Fasig-Tipton select Saratoga 2018 - $500,000
Owner: SF Racing, Starlight Stables, Madaket Stables, William Hertrich
Trainer: Rodolphe Brisset
Breeder: Newtown Anner Stud

Hard to say what this means since he shook loose the lead and had but four rivals in this Indiana Grand maiden special weight. Much better pace, at least, than in his one-turn-mile dirt debut at Churchill, and the addition of blinkers might have substantively moved him forward. Could see turf as an option at some point