Ready for Shirl Another ‘TDN Rising Star’ For Fipke Family

Ready for Shirl (More Than Ready), a daughter of GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf upsetter Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul {Ire}) from a wildly productive female family beautifully nurtured over the last 20 years by Charles Fipke and his team, jumped at odds of nearly 8-1 in a two-turn maiden over the Keeneland turf course Saturday afternoon.

8-1? 'Shirl'-y you must be joking, but the March-foaled bay rewarded her backers in becoming the second 'TDN Rising Star' out of the mare and the fourth from the first two dams with a spectacular effort on career debut.

A half-step slow to begin from gate nine and a detached last passing the stands for the first time, Ready for Shirl was allowed to find her feet by Florent Geroux and she had some pace up ahead of her, as Tempting Lady (Enticed) went the opening quarter in a swift :22.64 over a course which as recently as Friday still had plenty of ease in it. The homebred had passed a couple of rivals by the time they reached the backstretch, and Ready for Shirl was asked to commence a rally with the better part of 5 1/2 furlongs to go, improving her position with a two-path run before angling down towards the inside at the half-mile pole.

Forced to take evasive action around a weakening rival three furlongs from home, Ready for Shirl was consigned to a very wide run around the second turn, but nevertheless made ominous headway, circling up into contention nearing the stretch. Some six wide at the top of the lane, Ready for Shirl surged to a narrow lead at the furlong grounds and bounded clear late to an eye-catching victory. Pin Up Betty (Constitution) sat a perfect inside trip and narrowly outfinished odds-on Spaliday (More Than Ready–Dayatthespa) for second.

The late Jack Werk acquired then 18-year-old Illinois-bred Grade I winner Lady Shirl for $485,000 on behalf of Fipke at the 2005 Keeneland November sale, and the Theatrical (Ire) filly she was carrying at the time got her new owner off to a flying start. Lady Shakespeare, whose full-brother Shakespeare won the GI Woodbine Mile a year after her birth, would go on to a pair of graded wins–including Keeneland's GIII Bewitch S.

Lady Shirl's first Fipke-planned mating was a date with his 2004 GI Maker's Mark Mile hero Perfect Soul and the result was Perfect Shirl, upset winner of the 2010 GII Lake George S. and whose lone victory in nine subsequent trips to the post was a 27-1 upset of the 2011 Filly and Mare Turf. In her first two years at stud, Perfect Shirl was covered by More Than Ready, but neither of those produce managed a victory. A switch to More Than Ready's barnmate Speightstown seemed to do the trick, as Shirl's Speight, GISW-US, GSW & GISP-Can, $1,408,033, became a 'TDN Rising Star' on Woodbine debut in 2020 and recorded his biggest victory to date in the 2022 Maker's Mark. He was fourth to Master of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in Friday's renewal.

Perfect Shirl's half-sister Fantastic Shirl (Fantastic Light), a homebred for Dell Ridge Farm, was accorded 'Rising Star' status on Gulfstream debut in 2006, while Lady Shakespeare was responsible for 'TDN Rising Star' Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown), winner of the GI Natalma S. at two and later third in the 2022 GI Jenny Wiley S. and Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland. The latter's half-sister Ready Lady (More Than Ready) scored at 7-1 on her seven-furlong debut at Woodbine in 2021 before going on to finish third in last year's GII Dance Smartly S.

Perfect Shirl is also the dam of Speightstown Shirl (Speightstown), GSP, $119,038, the 2-year-old filly Perfectshirlstown (Speightstown) and is due to the late WinStar sire this year.

Ready for Shirl is the 17th 'TDN Rising Star' for her sadly departed stallion.

5th-Keeneland, $98,495, Msw, 4-13, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:43.39, gd, 3 1/2 lengths.
READY FOR SHIRL, f, 3, by More Than Ready
1st Dam: Perfect Shirl (GISW-USA, GSP-Can, $1,390,729), by Perfect Soul (Ire)
2nd Dam: Lady Shirl, by That's a Nice
3rd Dam: Canonization, by Native Heritage
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $56,575. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

O/B-Charles E Fipke (KY); T-Roger L Attfield.

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Speightstown Colt Soars To Debut Win At Meydan

3rd-Meydan, AED175,000, Nov., 2-9, NH & SH 3yo, 1400m, 1:23.77, ft.
FALCON OF ARABIA (c, 3, Speightstown–Lawn Party {SP-US}, by Medaglia d'Oro) made a winning debut over the main track on Friday. The colt led pillar-to-post and coasted home to win by 1 1/4 lengths. He was pressed by Auto Bahn (Arg) (Asiatic Boy {Arg}) the entire way around. It was 10 1/4 lengths back to the third-place horse, King Of Luck (GB) (New Bay {GB}). “He has to be nice to do that first time,” said O'Shea of the Falcon Racing Team-owned colt. “He has a nice temperament, a good pedigree and he was very professional. He was getting a weight pull from the top horse [Auto Bahn] but he'd had a run and we hadn't.” After selling twice as a yearling, the chestnut was offered by Top Line Sales at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale and caught the eye of trainer Bhupat Seemar after breezing an eight of a mile in :10 3/5. Falcon Of Arabia is a half-brother to Stellar Agent (More Than Ready), who was third in both the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and the GII Miss Grillo S., as well as the stakes-winning Anaconda (Pioneerof The Nile). His dam was covered by Epicenter last spring. Second dam Fiery Pursuit (Carson City) won the GII Louisville Breeders' Cup S., while third dam Engaging (Private Account) was a half-sister to the outstanding Eclipse Champion Juvenile Filly Flanders (Seeking The Gold), who would go on to produced Eclipse Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Surfside to the cover of Seattle Slew. Sales history: $95,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP; $80,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT; $150,000 2yo '23 FTIMAY. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, AED105,000.
O-Falcon Racing Team, LLC. B-Sandra Sexton & Silver Fern Farm (KY). T-Bhupat Seemar.

 

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Uncle Mo Colt Gets Rising Star Nod at Fair Grounds

In a field including six first-time starters, Squire Creek (Uncle Mo) proved much the best, scampering home a six-length winner over the well-related 4-5 choice Wicked Again (Gun Runner) in the six-furlong contest at Fair Grounds Thursday. Off the blocks alertly, the 5-2 second choice vied for the early lead with the well-related Wicked Again through opening fractions of :21.65 and :44.92. Head-to-head with that rival turning for home, the $525,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate edged ahead in early stretch and blasted clear late en route to an easy victory.

A half-sister to MGSW & GISP Commissioner (A.P. Indy) and GSW & GISP Laugh Track (Distorted Humor), Covenant is also a half to Mythical Bride (Street Cry {Ire}), the dam of champion older horse and GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Vino Rosso (Curlin). The 9-year-old mare was barren in 2021 but foaled a Constitution colt the following season and was bred back to Curlin.

8th-Fair Grounds, $50,000, Msw, 3-2, 3yo, 6f, 1:10.05, ft, 6 1/4 lengths.
SQUIRE CREEK, c, 3, Uncle Mo
1st Dam: Covenant, by Speightstown
2nd Dam: Flaming Heart, by Touch Gold
3rd Dam: Hot Lear, by Lear Fan
Sales history: $525,000 Ylg '21 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $30,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-WinStar Farm LLC, Twin Creeks Racing Stables, LLC, 4 G Racing, LLC and Ronald Ortyl; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox.

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Seahenge Colt Struts His Stuff In Meydan Debut

3rd-Meydan, Maiden, AED82,500, 11-25, 1400m, 1:24.56, ft.
ROYAL DUBAI (FR), (c, 2, Seahenge-Sand Rose {Fr}, by Aussie Rules) was making his debut, and appears to be a colt with plenty of potential after polishing off his rivals by 6 3/4 lengths at Meydan on Friday. Scrubbed on to maintain his position as the gates flew, the colt was in a four-way battle for supremacy on the backstretch and established a one-length lead entering the far turn. Tackled by Magic Petition (Good Magic) in upper stretch, he easily shrugged off that challenge and skipped away to win as he pleased by daylight. Magic Petition soon gave way to Seyouff (Flatter) by midstretch, who took second. It was 3 1/4 lengths back to Magic Petition in third. “He wasn't brilliantly away but he was soon up into stride,” said Pat Cosgrave. “I liked the way he put the race to bed very quickly and it was all over at the 300 [-metre marker]. He's got everything going for him; he's got no quirks and he might not have to improve much to be a Guineas contender.” The winner is the seventh for his G2 Champagne S.-winning first-season sire (by Scat Daddy), who stood for €3,500 at Haras de la Haie Neuve this year. His placed dam has produced five foals, of which Royal Dubai is the fourth, and second winner. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $13,479. VIDEO.
O-Saeed Sultan Al Rahoomi. B-Societa Agricola Gem SRL & Societa Agricola La Plume. T-Bhupat Seemar.

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