The Five Fastest Maidens, Presented By Taylor Made: Dec. 1 – Jan. 4

Wandering Eyes · January 7

5. LONESOME ROAD, LRL, 12/26-7th, 6 furlongs (video)
Beyer Speed Figure- 93
(g, 3, by Maclean's Music-Walk of Stars, by Street Sense)
O-Estate of R Larry Johnson. B-R Larry Johnson (Va). T-Michael Trombetta. J-Mychel Sanchez.
The now-4-year-old gelding took a massive leap forward when Trombetta shifted him from grass to dirt, scoring by a widening 8 ½ lengths as the latest success from the breeding program of late Maryland-based owner/breeder Larry Johnson. Lonesome Road traces back four generations to Johnson's foundation mare Ran's Chick through her daughter Special Kell–the same family tree progression that has also produced graded stakes stars Mindframe and Future Is Now.

4. SALVATION, AQU, 12/4-2nd, 1 mile (video)
Beyer Speed Figure- 94 (2nd)
(g, 3, by Palace Malice-Lovely Rate, by Exchange Rate)
O-Robert Bruno. B-Three Chimneys Farm (Ky). T-Linda Rice. J-Jose Lezcano.
Based on numbers, he can rightfully be called a $45,000 bargain from the Fasig-Tipton October Taylor Made consignment even though he remains a maiden after eight starts (which have included five runnerup finishes). This was his seventh race and his second straight 94 Beyer, coming on the heels of his 2nd in November behind Life and Times. However, after this effort he ran back Dec. 28 at Aqueduct and finished a disappointing 4th with an 80 Beyer.

3. IRON HONOR, AQU, 12/13-3rd, 6 furlongs (video)
Beyer Speed Figure- 95
(c, 2, by Nyquist-Orencia, by Blame)
O-St. Elias Stable, William Lawrence and Cathi Glassman. B-Mike and Pat Freeny (Va). T-Chad Brown. J-Manny Franco.
Despite his lofty debut Beyer, when a Brown first-timer is 5/1 fourth choice in a seven-horse field in December at Aqueduct, it's a safe bet the barn didn't consider him at the head of the class. Iron Honor had a string of mostly mediocre breezes, but there was nothing mediocre about the way he ran down talented Crossingthechannel, a next-out winner in New York (and another bred by Larry Johnson). He was a $230,000 Taylor Made Keeneland January graduate, who went on to sell for $475,000 in September.

2. D'CODE, OP, 12/14-4th, 6 furlongs (video)
Beyer Speed Figure- 99
(c, 2, by Speightstown-Dos Vinos, by Twirling Candy)

D'code | Coady Media

O/B-Tom R. Durant (Ky). T-Ray Ashford Jr. J-Cristian Torres.
Longtime owner Tom Durant is a self-made billionaire who was once (and maybe still is) America's No. 1 Chevrolet dealer. The Texan has had numerous stakes winners over the years, including millionaire Silver Dust, Wooden Phone and Awesome Humor, and bred $1.6 million earner Tejano Twist. But Durant has never had a youngster earn a debut 99 Beyer, a performance that has put 8 ½-length winner D'Code on the map for the Jan. 31 Southwest Stakes (Gr III).

1.TIME TO WIN, AQU, 12/4-2nd, 1 mile (video)
Beyer Speed Figure- 103
(r, 3, by Not This Time-Nagamble, by Flatter)
O-Spendthrift Farm, William Lawrence, Big Easy Racing, Titletown Racing Stables, Winners Win, Golconda Stable, Ali Goodrich and Mark Parkinson. B-Fred Hertrich III. T-Chad Brown. J-Flavien Prat.
Time to Win becomes our first three-timer in Five Fastest Maidens. He made the list for his debut runnerup finish Sept. 1 at Saratoga with an 87 Beyer, regressed slightly in his next 2nd-place finish at BAQ, then bounced back with a 94 Beyer in November finishing 3rd behind Life and Times and Salvation (see above). In his fourth start, the half-brother to Grade I winner Juju's Map put it all together, storming off by 5 ½ lengths to soar into triple-digit Beyerland and please his many owners. He was a $650,000 Taylor Made September grad, by their stallion Not This Time.