Peter Brant's €$1.95-million investment at last year's Arqana December sale to acquire Speak of the Devil (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) looks like it might be paying off as the even-money favorite in Saturday's GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. showed off an uncommon turn-of-foot to blow away fellow Brant/Chad Brown representative and 'TDN Rising Star' In Italian. The victory came almost exactly 24 hours after Brant and Brown celebrated another victory with a fast-finishing female in still-unbeaten GIII Modesty S. heroine Bleecker Street (Quality Road). Brown saddled the exacta in that event as well, and Brown and Brant also took last year's Distaff Turf Mile.
Having previously carried the colors of Rashit Shaykhutdinov, Speak of the Devil's career highlights in her native country included a nose second in the 2020 G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches for Fabrice Chappet and a head third in last August's G1 Prix Rothschild after being transferred to Frederic Rossi. She returned to winning ways with victories in Saint-Cloud's Oct. 31 Prix Isola Bella and Nov. 16 Prix Tantieme before heading off to auction.
Entering with plenty of buzz off a sharp-looking worktab mostly at Payson Park, the bay sat at the back early as In Italian cleared off easily and doled out splits of :24.86 and :49.70 while kept off the fence. With second trailer Wakanaka also traveling well off the inside, pilot Flavien Prat on the eventual winner opted for an early move entering the home bend. Slicing inside of Wakanaka and then out into the clear, Speak of the Devil and Prat were all the way up to challenge In Italian in a practical blink of an eye. In Italian punched back along the fence as Speak of the Devil continued on far out in the course, but the latter ultimately had an extra gear or two and scampered home much the best.
“I thought I was in some good holes, but for some reason she was not progressing down the backside,” said Prat. “So I decided to drop down to the inside, and as soon as I called on her she cut really well. The track feels very good after all the rain.”
“So lucky to have this filly,” Brown said. “She was turned her over to us last fall. Every week she kept getting better and indicated everything you want to see. You hate to run these fillies against each other, but really there's not a lot of options out there at a mile right now, so we let them settle it on the racetrack and today Speak of the Devil was better.”
Speak of the Devil was not the first 2021 Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale seven-figure alumni to succeed on the racecourse in recent days–€2.5-million buy Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) took the May 1 G3 Prix Allex France Longines at ParisLongchamp in the colors of Haras de Hus.
Saturday, Churchill Downs
LONGINES CHURCHILL DISTAFF TURF MILE S.-GII, $500,000, Churchill Downs, 5-7, 4yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:37.47, fm.
1–SPEAK OF THE DEVIL (FR), 118, m, 5, by Wootton Bassett (GB)
1st Dam: Moranda (Fr), by Indian Rocket (GB)
2nd Dam: Spain, by Bering (GB)
3rd Dam: Sevilliana (GB), by General Holme
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. (€45,000 Wlg '17 ARQDE; €62,000
Ylg '18 AROYRG; €1,950,000 4yo '21 ARQDEC). O-Peter M.
Brant; B-Herve Viallon (FR); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat.
$306,900. Lifetime Record: Hwt. Older Mare-Fr at 7-9.5f, MSW
& MG1SP-Fr 15-6-3-2, $604,576. *1/2 to Morando (FR)
(Kendargent (FR)), MGSW-Eng, GSP-Fr, $374,805. Werk Nick
Rating: D. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–In Italian (GB), 118, f, 4, Dubawi (Ire)–Florentina (Aus), by
Redoute's Choice (Aus). 'TDN Rising Star' (475,000gns Ylg '19
TATOCT). O-Peter M. Brant; B-Fairway Thoroughbreds (GB);
T-Chad C. Brown. $99,000.
3–Wakanaka (Ire), 118, f, 4, Power (GB)–Storyline (Ire), by
Kodiac (GB). (£3,500 Ylg '19 GOFFPR). O-Team Valor
International & Gary Barber; B-Mrs Jean Brennan (IRE);
T-William I. Mott. $49,500.
Margins: 2 3/4, 3, 3. Odds: 1.10, 2.20, 4.50.
Also Ran: Lady Speightspeare, Flower Point, Abscond. Scratched: Mona Stella, She Can't Sing. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
Pedigree Notes:
Speak of the Devil is the 17th group/graded winner for her sire, and eighth out of a mare by Indian Rocket. Her dam is a half to MGSW winner Myasun (Fr) (Panis) and a full to SW Matwan (Fr), who is the dam of a group winner, a stakes winner, a group-placed runner and a stakes-placed runner. Moranda has a 2-year-old filly by Anodin (Ire) and a yearling colt by Best Solution (Ire).
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