'TDN Rising Star' Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown) made a successful transition to the Tapeta track Saturday, racing away to a convincing score in the GII Bessarabian S., remaining unbeaten from four starts in the process.
The Fipke homebred, whose prior victories include the GI Natalma S. over the local turf course last season, wired a Sept. 6 turf allowance over 8 1/2 furlongs, but was scratched after becoming fractious in the gate ahead of the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Oct. 16 at Keeneland and was a trainer scratch prior to that track's Oct. 29 GIII Rubicon Valley View S. With plenty of gate schooling in the interim, she was rerouted for her first try against elders here.
A handy second arguing the early pace underneath favored GIII Hendrie S. heroine Our Secret Agent (Secret Circle) through the opening exchanges, Lady Speightspeare was content to chase under a light hold from the two path into the turn once Our Secret Agent got clear. The chestnut, niggled along at the quarter pole, gathered in the pacesetter with consummate ease once heads were turned for home and skipped away powerfully to take it by in slick time. Our Secret Agent held for second ahead of the rallying La Libertee (Constitution) in third.
“I'm pretty relieved to be honest with you,” offered trainer Roger Attfield. “She's very special. When we went to Keeneland, and what happened there in the Queen Elizabeth, was so upsetting because she was so good and I really, really, liked doing that race. It was an important race, a Grade I race. I got her back here and we had lots of options of different places to go.
He continued, “[Jockey] Emma [-Jayne Wilson]'s been great and it all came together. But the race itself, I wasn't really sure how well she'd handle the synthetic. We always thought that she was quite a bit better on the turf, I still think she is. But the main thing was to get this gate thing sorted out and it seemed like we did today.”
Pedigree Notes:
Via the late Jack Werk, Charles Fipke acquired Grade I winner Lady Shirl in foal to Theatrical (Ire) for $485,000 carrying the filly that would become Lady Shakespeare at the 2005 Keeneland November Sale. Winner of the GII New York S. and GIII Bewitch S., Lady Shakespeare is a full-sister to GISW Shakespeare; and a half to SW/MGSP Fantastic Shirl (Fantastic Light) and Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul {Ire}), upset winner of the 2011 GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf and herself the dam of GSW 'TDN Rising Star' Shirl's Speight (Speightstown) and GSP Speightstown Shirl (Speightstown).
Lady Shakespeare is the dam of the 2-year-old filly Ready Lady (More Than Ready), a debut winner at Woodbine Aug. 28, but down the field in the GI Natalma S. Sept. 19; a yearling full-brother to Ready Lady and a weanling filly by Bee Jersey. She was most recently bred to Fipke's GI Clark H. hero Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}).
Saturday, Woodbine
BESSARABIAN S.-GII, C$175,350, Woodbine, 11-13, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f (AWT), 1:21.03, ft.
1–LADY SPEIGHTSPEARE, 119, f, 3, by Speightstown
              1st Dam: Lady Shakespeare (MGSW-USA, SW-Can, $495,608), by Theatrical (Ire)
              2nd Dam: Lady Shirl, by That's a Nice
              3rd Dam: Canonization, by Native Heritage
O/B-Charles E. Fipke (KY); T-Roger L. Attfield; J-Emma-Jayne
Wilson. C$105,000. 'TDN Rising Star' Lifetime Record: Ch.
2yo filly-Can, GISW-Can, 4-4-0-0, $264,779. Werk Nick
Rating: A+++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross
pedigree.
2–Our Secret Agent, 123, f, 4, Secret Circle–Avalos, by Holy
Bull. ($47,000 RNA Ylg '18 FTKOCT). O-Gary Barber; B-Paul
Tackett Revocable Trust (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. C$35,000.
3–La Libertee, 119, f, 3, Constitution–La Rambla, by City Zip.
O/B-Tracy Farmer (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. C$17,500.
Margins: 4, 1, NK. Odds: 5.45, 1.55, 18.80.
Also Ran: Aug Lutes, Gidgetta, Emmeline, Tuned (GB), Juxtapose. Scratched: Spun Glass.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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