The Five Fastest Maidens, Presented by Taylor Made, For the Week of June 24-29

Wandering Eyes · 2025-07-01T19:52:07Z

5. Spun Candy, CD, 6/28, 6 1/2 furlongs (VIDEO)
Beyer Speed Figure- 86
(f, 3, by Hard Spun-Sugar Plum Fairy, by Drosselmeyer)
O-Commonwealth Stable 3, On Our Own Stable and Dallas Stewart. B-Brushy Hill Stable (Ky). T-Dallas Stewart. J-Brian Hernandez Jr.
Another who showed dramatic improvement–topping her previous high Beyer by 18 points–in her first try over a wet surface. A modest $85k Ocala 2-year-old purchase, she had been knocking heads with tough maidens in her first five starts, including Immersive and Senza Parole.

4. Roofer, BAQ, 6/27, 6 furlongs (VIDEO)
Beyer Speed Figure- 87
(c, 3, by Honest Mischief-Memories of Mom, by Include)
O-Richard Greeley. B-Robert Harris (NY). T-Mitchell Friedman. J-Ruben Silvera.
In breaking into the win column in his ninth start, Roofer delivered a Beyer figure 24 points higher than in any of his previous races. It wasn't fluky–he led from the gate to dominate New York-breds in 1:09.36. But it isn't easily explained, either: no track bias, no new blinkers or new surface, no trainer/distance/running style change, no first-time Lasix, no sudden sequence of fast works. Sometimes improvement just….happens.

3. Love Actually, GP, 6/28, 5 furlongs (turf) (VIDEO)
Beyer Speed Figure- 87
(f, 3, by Caravaggio-Deer Island Diva, by Unbridled Mate)
O-Enjoy the Ride Stables. B-Sharon Rose & Peter Daly (Fla). T-Joe Orseno. J-Edwin Gonzalez.
Welcome to the week of sudden, dramatic improvement. Love Actually turned in a new Beyer top by 19 points. In her sixth start, she made all the pace over very firm Gulfstream turf and opened up with authority in the upper stretch as the even-money favorite.

2. Synthetic, EVD, 6/26, 6 furlongs
Beyer Speed Figure- 87
(f, 3, by Midshipman-Always Here Too, by Include)
O-Keith Plaisance. B-Clear Creek Stud & Theodore Brandon (La). T-Joseph Felks. J-Emanuel Nieves.
It took a while to get her to the races, but the word was out on 3-year-old first-timer Synthetic, and the buzz proved accurate. She opened at 10-1 on the morning line, was bet to 9-5 favoritism, and blew her Louisiana-bred rivals away by nine widening lengths in 1:10.17. Taylor Made Sales agency consigned her at Fasig-Tipton's July 2023 yearling sale, where she brought $75k–and if her debut performance is any indication, she's worth every cent.

1. Lemon Zest, CD, 6/29, 1 mile (VIDEO)
Beyer Speed Figure- 88
(f, 3, by Nyquist-Larkin, by Bernardini)
O/B- Godolphin (Ky). T-Brad Cox. J-Luis Saez.
When Godolphin placed 11-year-old mare Larkin in this January's all-ages sale at Keeneland, her decent pedigree was overshadowed by her undistinguished record as a racehorse and her four then-undistinguished foals. She sold for a paltry $17,000. But her daughter Lemon Zest–unraced at the time Larkin went through the ring–ran down 3-5 California shipper Margarita Girl on Sunday in a sharp 1:34.03, and bears watching over the next few months.