Each week in this space, the top Beyer performances by maiden winners will be featured and analyzed. Click here for a complete archive. Zandon Oct. 9, 4th race Belmont, MdSpWt90k Beyer: 80 6f 1:10.61 – 1st by 1 1/2 lengths b.c.2, Upstart – Memories Prevail, by Creative Cause Auctions: Keeneland September yearling 2020 - $170,000 Owner: Jeff Drown Trainer: Chad Brown Breeder: Brereton Jones Impressive, in a word, and seems like a route horse in waiting. Off slightly slow from post 2 and wound up with an inside stalking trip, eating dirt, which he tolerated for the most part. Held position – of necessity, since he was locked in – around the turn, then got a little antsy when he was ready to do some real running at the quarter pole and had nowhere to go. Jockey steered right and Zandon made his own room, pushing away a fading outside stalker as he came across the heels of the two leaders and finally found daylight. One pop of the crop and he was alongside and past the top two, merely shown the whip to the wire while accelerating like a turf horse. He got his final furlong in 11.78 seconds, fastest in the race by .6 seconds, and with all the momentum galloped out far in front. Unraced dam a sibling to two stakes winners. Sweet As Pie Oct. 8, 4th race Belmont, MdSpWt90k Beyer: 77 6.5f 1:17.54 – 1st by 1 1/4 lengths gr.f.2, Tapit – Treasuring, by Smart Strike Auctions: Fasig-Tipton select yearling 2020 – $490,000 Owner: Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Westerberg Trainer: Todd Pletcher Breeder: Hill n’ Dale Equine Holdings & Stretch Run Ventures First-timers aren’t supposed to win like this. She broke from the rail – got away decently – and didn’t have the speed to go with the leaders, winding up stuck in a tight spot down the backstretch, first along the fence, then in about the no. 2 path, bottled up between horses. Came under a ride to hold position at the half-mile pole and you wouldn’t have made her as a winner at that point, but she kept up adequately around the turn. Worked to the far outside and cornering about five paths off the fence, she briefly was out-quicked by three horses in front of her but upon switching leads straightening for the wire, she pounced on those rivals and went clear of her last remaining foe the final half-furlong in a game, determined victory. Not one of those wow debut performances where a horse shows a ton of speed or races under a big hold, but given the circumstances, this was nice. Stakes-winning dam seemed best at about one mile and third dam is the great Better Than Honour, mother of two Belmont Stakes winners. Marie MacKay Oct. 8, 6th race Woodbine, ShadyWellS150k Beyer: 79 5.5f Tapeta 1:04.03 – 1st by 2 1/4 lengths b.f.2, Noble Mission – Always A Star, by Danehill Noteworthy siblings: Star of the North (The Hunk) – 5-time MN-bred stakes winner, $300K earnings; Always inthe Munny (Speightstown) – stakes winner Auctions: Canadian Ontario September yearling - $76,641 (RNA) Owner: Track West Racing Inc and Donald Whalen Trainer: Daniel Vella Breeder: Track West Racing Inc and Don Whalen Beaten in her debut, where she led and was run down by Aubrieta, who was the 1-2 favorite here – and no match at all for Marie MacKay. MM broke on top again, cruised on the lead around the turn, leapt eagerly into her lead change and quickened past the quarter pole, and very easily held clear the favorite for a decisive stakes score. She seems relatively short-coupled and definitely is quick, and the sibling who’s a Minnesota-bred stakes winner supreme is a fast sprinter, so perhaps her future is in one-turn racing. Slow Down Andy Oct. 9, 4th race Santa Anita, CA-bredMdSpWt61k Beyer: 77 5.5f 1:04.17 – 1st by 4 3/4 lengths ch.c.2, Nyquist – Edina E, by Square Eddie Noteworthy siblings: Team Merchants (Nyquist) – 4th Okla. Derby, 92 Beyer, $113K earnings Owner: Reddam Racing Trainer: Doug O’Neill Breeder: Reddam Racing Only a Cal-bred MSW but he has the pedigree of an open horse and ran like one, too. A little narrow through the neck, looking like a horse with plenty of maturing still to do (as you’d expect), but already had a major engine on his back end, traveled sweetly while stalking wide in this short sprint, and won very, very easily. Wore a shadow roll, no blinkers, and was looking all over the pace in the homestretch after making the lead, widening his advantage while not really paying attention to the task at hand. If memory serves, the barn seems to eschew big gallop-outs – looked like he could’ve had one but was geared down a half-furlong past the finish. Likable colt.