Breakout Beyers: Verifying checks the boxes

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

Verifying

Aug. 27, 1st race Saratoga, MdSpWt105k
Beyer: 85
6 furlongs 1:10.26 – 1st by 1 3/4 lengths
b. c. 2, Justify – Diva Delite, by Repent
Noteworthy siblings: Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute – foaled 2015) – champion, multiple Grade 1 winner, $7.47 million earnings; Stage Left (Congrats – foaled 2016) – stakes-placed, $345K earnings, 97 Beyer
Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2021 – $775,000
Owner: Jonathan Poulin, Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael Tabor
Trainer: Brad Cox
Breeder: Hunter Valley and Mountmellick Farm

Midnight Bisou could go seven furlongs effectively, and her youngest brother to race, Verifying, has plenty of speed, as evidenced by a debut win over six furlongs. But Midnight Bisou was obviously a true route horse, and Verifying gives the same impression. There was no brilliant display and huge margin of victory here, but the colt didn’t do anything wrong beyond slightly leaning left into runner-up Track Mate as the two battled in upper stretch. Verifying appeared to win with something left, going along with the rhythm of a horse who’d have been happy to do two turns on the day, had it been required. He has a nice enough way of going, looks efficient, and holds plenty of promise for late summer and autumn of his 2-year-old season.

Xigera

Aug. 28, 1st race Saratoga, MdSpWt105k
Beyer: 77
1 1/16 miles turf 1:44.36 – 1st by 5 3/4 lengths
b. f. 2, Nyquist – Argent Affair, by Black Tie Affair
Noteworthy siblings: Forty Under (Uncle Mo – foaled 2016) – Grade 3 winner, $381K earnings; Myriskyaffair (Verrazano – foaled 2019) – Grade 3-placed
Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2021 – $190,000
Owner: Rigney Racing
Trainer: Philip Bauer
Breeder: Cedar Hill

This second-time starter improved 15 Beyer points over her debut performance on Aug. 7 while turning in one of the best turf-route performances from a 2-year-old of either sex so far this year. She wound up getting a great trip, but that didn’t happen in a vacuum, Xigera making her own good luck by showing early speed, then responding willingly to rating tactics from Julien Leparoux, who took her back to second and tracked the pacesetter around the far turn. The best part of Xigera’s race came when Leparoux threw a couple crosses at her past the three-sixteenths pole, Xigera leaping forward with a very nice turn of foot to quickly open daylight. She got somewhat lost on the lead, wandering outside, appearing to spy something past the eighth pole, which caused a switch back to the wrong lead after she’d changed professionally a furlong earlier. But by then the race was over, Xigera looking like next-start stakes material.

Carmel Road

Aug. 26, 3rd race Del Mar, MdSpWt82.5k
Beyer: 82
1 mile 1:37.53 – 1st by 8 3/4 lengths
b. c. 3, Quality Road – Inspired, by Unbridled Song
Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2021 – $650,000
Owner: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Breeder: Peter Blum Thoroughbreds

Fast-early, slow-late does not come close to doing justice to this radical race shape. Carmel Road, who’d been third sprinting in his debut, went to the lead and got his first quarter-mile in 21.90 seconds, a sprint pace that you’d think would leave an August 2-year-old spent late in the game. It did, too, Carmel Road getting his final quarter mile in 26.37, roughly 4 1/2 seconds slower than the opening fraction. But somehow, Carmel Road’s was the fastest final quarter among these 10 horses, Carmel Road continuing to pull away in the gallop-out. All credit to the colt for being able to win off under such conditions, but it’s hard really to know what to make of a race like this – other than Carmel Road has plenty of route speed. He’s a strapping-looking fellow. The dam was a sprinter, but Baffert wasted no time stretching this guy out. Would guess he’s bound for the American Pharoah at Santa Anita.

The Great Maybe

Aug. 28, 6th race Saratoga, MdSpWt105k
Beyer: 82
6 furlongs 1:10.24 – 1st by 8 lengths
b. f. 2, Upstart – Pure Legacy, by Simon Pure
Auctions: Fasig-Tipton October yearling 2021 – $55,000; OBS March 2022 – $425,000
Owner: Lael Stable
Trainer: Cherie DeVaux
Breeder: Monica Egger

An eight-length Saratoga maiden-special debut win speaks well of a horse knowing no details, but this 2-year-old filly was even better than the figure and bare margin of victory. She was one of those special winners who turned in the fastest first furlong and fastest last furlong in her field, a suggestion that we were not merely looking at a precocious horse that overwhelmed the competition purely with speed. The Great Maybe brushed the gate and broke inward from post 1, and Javier Castellano had to ask her the first half-furlong in order not to get buried behind horses. But even after Castellano stopped moving his hands, the filly was going plenty fast to come between the horse to her outside and the fence to make the lead into the turn. She easily drew away from her pace rival, and after being urged in upper stretch continued to widen to the wire while under only moderate pressure. The dam was a sprinter of no great account, and one wonders how far her daughter will stretch. The Great Maybe has a bounding, exuberant stride, but one that is far from lovely; her left front leg wings out noticeably when she runs. Putting that aside, she’s clearly quite talented.

Tap In Formation

Aug. 28, 4th race Ellis Park, MdSpWt60k
Beyer: 79
6 furlongs 1:10.92 – 1st by nose
b. c. 2, Tapiture – Informative Style, by Dayjur
Noteworthy siblings: Lil Tootsie (Tapiture – foaled 2018) – multiple stakes winner, $532K earnings; Watch This Cat (Eskendereya – foaled 2012) – stakes winner, $237K earnings; Ultimate Question (Whywhywhy – foaled 2008) – stakes winner, $147K earnings; Stylish Citizen (Proud Citizen – foaled 2006) – stakes winner, $164K earnings
Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2021 – $145,000
Owner: Arlene London
Trainer: Wayne Catalano
Breeder: Davant Latham

You’d think most people going forward would want this race’s runner-up, odds-on favorite Mullion, a Juddmonte homebred whose brother is Mandaloun. He rallied inside and just missed victory, coming home with big strides. The stride discrepancy with the winner was accentuated because Tap In Formation didn’t ever change leads, doing just enough after opening a big lead around the turn to hold on and win his debut. The dam has gotten a bevy of foals to race and has a host of stakes winners; her offspring tend to excel up to one mile, just like this colt might.

Recruiter

Aug. 27, 3rd race Monmouth, MdSpWt55k
Beyer: 82
5 furlongs 57.09 – 1st by 1 length
b. c. 2, Army Mule – Lady Halite, by Medaglia d’Oro
Auctions: OBS winter mixed 2021 – $60,000; Fasig-Tipton summer yearling 2021 – $102,000 RNA; OBS 2-year-old and horses of racing age 2022 – $125,000
Owner: Lynch Stable and Nick Sanna Racing
Trainer: Cal Lynch
Breeder: Beth Bayer

He narrowly made this list, as we give less credit for races as short as five furlongs this late in the summer. Moreover, he made a clear lead on a speed-carrying strip while facing just four foes, but while his big lead disappeared the final furlong, the rallying runner-up had more than 15 lengths on the third horse home. The trainer bought this horse at auction, and Recruiter was a heavily bet favorite for this unveiling.