Fastest maidens: It's Our Time dominates in Saratoga debut

The last seven days have delivered an outstanding collection of maiden winners, with 36 horses posting impressive Horse Racing Nation speed figures. These first-time victors were led by a spectacular performance from a 2-year-old colt who dominated by nearly 18 lengths.

Tom Amoss led all trainers with two impressive maiden winners, topped by It's Our Time's exceptional 129 HRN speed figure at Saratoga. The veteran conditioner also saddled 3-year-old Levitating to a 116 figure. Bob Baffert contributed two winners as well, with Explora earning a 108 at Del Mar and another solid performer in his typical style.

Sire influence drives top performances

Not This Time leads the way as sire of speed figure leader It's Our Time while also being represented by another solid performer, Starship Titan with a 103. Authentic, Curlin, Yaupon and Collected each sired two winners.

It's Our Time, 129 HRN speed figure

Two-year-old colt It's Our Time delivered the week's most dominant performance with a 129 HRN speed figure at Saratoga on Saturday. By Not This Time out of Shea D Summer, this Tom Amoss-trained first-time starter overcame a bump at the start to win by 17 3/4 lengths at 5-1 odds in a nine-horse maiden special weight over 6 1/2 furlongs on dirt. Luis Saez guided the Double Down Horse Racing colorbearer to victory, with the colt showing tremendous acceleration as he "bumped at start, three wide in pursuit... four-five wide upper stretch, forged clear, geared down," according to the chart comments.

The margin of victory and speed figure suggest this South Gate Farm-bred could develop into a serious juvenile stakes prospect. The combination of Not This Time's proven ability to sire early speed and Amoss's skill with 2-year-olds makes It's Our Time a horse to follow closely in upcoming stakes races at Saratoga and beyond.

Belgian, 120

Belgian posted a 120 HRN speed figure in his impressive debut at Saratoga on Saturday, winning a seven-furlong maiden special weight on dirt. By Beau Liam out of Watch Smartly, this George Weaver-trained 2-year-old first-time starter justified favoritism by winning in decisive fashion under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. Newtown Anner Stud Farm saw their investment pay immediate dividends.

Belgian's debut performance suggests he has the talent to move directly into stakes company. The combination of Beau Liam's proven ability to sire quality runners and Weaver's track record with developing horses makes this colt one to watch as he moves forward in his career.

Semper Primus, 116

Three-year-old colt Semper Primus finally broke through with a 116 HRN speed figure at Ellis Park on Sunday in his third career start. By Improbable out of Inaugurate, this James DiVito-trained colt had shown promise in his previous two outings before capturing a six-furlong maiden special weight on dirt. The breakthrough came at 5-2 odds with Walter Rodriguez in the saddle for owner Doubledown Stable.

The fact that Semper Primus needed three tries to break his maiden suggests he may have needed time to mature, but the quality of his winning performance indicates he could develop into a useful horse for connections. His breeding suggests he should handle longer distances as his career progresses.

Tennessee Belle, 104

Two-year-old filly Tennessee Belle earned a solid 104 HRN speed figure while breaking her maiden in her second career start at Saratoga on Saturday. By Yaupon out of the Grade 1-winning mare Belle Gallantey, this John Ortiz-trained filly showed marked improvement from her debut to win by 7 1/4 lengths as the even-money favorite under Joel Rosario. Boyd Racing owns this promising daughter of a top-class racemare.

Tennessee Belle's running style showed tactical speed as she controlled the pace throughout the six-furlong contest on dirt, with chart comments noting she had "speed, paced outside foe, clear at seven-sixteenths, two-wide turn, asked three wide at quarter pole, drew off, eased up." The combination of her impressive dam's Grade 1 credentials and her dominant winning performance suggests she could develop into a stakes-caliber filly for connections.