Friday Show Presented By Woodbine: In Racing, Time Is Of The Essence

More than one Thoroughbred trainer has said that “time only matters if you're in jail,” but try telling that to a horseplayer. In North America, the fractional and final times of every race listed in a horse's past performances can play an important role in a bettor's decision-making process, not to mention the performance ratings – from Beyer and Brisnet speed figures to Thorograph and Ragozin sheets – that many horseplayers use.

The method of timing races at some tracks has changed in recent years from traditional beam systems that are tripped when the first horse passes designated poles to a GPS system based on transponders placed on a horse's saddle towel. The transition has not been seamless, and some tracks are now using a hybrid of both systems to compile accurate race times and running positions. Even that system can produce inaccurate times, as evidenced by several races on the two-day Breeders' Cup world championships at Del Mar on Nov. 5-6.

In this week's edition of the Friday Show, Equibase president Sal Sinatra joins publisher Ray Paulick and news editor Chelsea Hackbarth to talk about the race-timing challenges he inherited when he joined the company earlier this year and how he hopes timing problems will be resolved. Sinatra, a longtime racing executive who worked in the statistical department of Daily Racing Form when he was just getting started in the business, understands the importance of accurate data, including times, in a horse's past performances.

Paulick and Hackbarth review undefeated Woodbine Star of the Week Lady Speightspeare's victory in the G2 Bessarabian Stakes under Emma-Jayne WIlson. Owned and bred by Charles Fipke (who also owned and bred Lady Speightspeare's multiple graded stakes-winning dam), the 3-year-old Speightstown filly is trained by Hall of Famer Roger Attfield.

Watch this week's Friday Show, presented by Woodbine, below:

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Lady Speightspeare Goes From Turf To Main Track To Take Bessarabian At Woodbine

Canada's champion 2-year-old filly of 2020, Lady Speightspeare has been a turf specialist so far in her career, going undefeated over the grass at Woodbine. In the Grade 2 Bessarabian Stakes at the Toronto, Ontario racetrack, the 3-year-old daughter made her transition to the all-weather surface a winning one, taking the second graded stakes of her career by four lengths.

In a field of nine, Lady Speightspeare was away in second, with Our Secret Agent taking the lead in the race's early strides. With jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson in the saddle, Lady Speightspeare transitioned from the rail to the outside of Our Secret Agent as they approached the far turn, pulling even with the leader as they entered the stretch.

In the Woodbine straight, Lady Speightspeare showed an impressive turn-of-foot on the Tapeta, pulling clear by a length at the top of the stretch and then pulling away to win with ease. Our Secret Agent hung on for second and La Libertee was third.

The final time for the seven furlongs was 1:21.03. Find this race's chart here.

Lady Speightspeare paid $12.90, $5.70, and $3.90. Our Secret Agent paid $2.90 and $2.50. La Libertee paid $6.20.

Bred in Kentucky by owner Charles Fipke, Lady Speightspeare is by Speightstown out of the Theatrical (IRE) mare Lady Shakespeare. She is trained by Roger Attfield. With her win in the G2 Bessarabian, the 3-year-old filly has two wins in two starts in 2021 for a perfect lifetime record of four wins in four starts and career earnings of $264,779.

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Lady Speightspeare Remains Perfect in Bessarabian

'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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Unbeaten Lady Speightspeare Makes All-Weather Debut in Bessarabian

'TDN Rising Star' Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown), three-for-three on turf to start her career, will try all-weather racing for the first time Saturday at Woodbine, going seven furlongs on the Tapeta in the GII Bessarabian S.

A sharp 3 3/4-length frontrunning winner debuting on the local turf last August to earn her 'Rising Star' badge, the Chuck Fipke homebred quickly backed up that distinction with a score in the GI Natalma S. The chestnut was sidelined for nearly a year after that, however, before returning with an optional claiming success in a turf route here Sept. 6. She recently was scratched out of the GIII Rubicon Valley View S. at Keeneland in favor of this spot.

The favorite on the morning line at 2-1 is Gary Barber's Our Secret Agent (Secret Circle), who looks for her second straight graded stakes tally. Breaking her maiden by seven lengths in her local bow last July, she repeated in an allowance a month later, but went winless in her next seven outings while placing in six black-type events. She broke through with the addition of blinkers last out in Woodbine's GIII Hendrie S. Oct. 23, running away to a 3 1/2-length triumph.

Other contenders include Gidgetta (Fast Anna), who moved from Richard Baltas's barn to the Josie Carroll stable following a fast-closing optional claiming win in a Santa Anita turf sprint Oct. 8, and Aug Lutes (Midnight Lute), who's notched four wins and a second in five starts to open her career and upset the Glen Cove S. at 19-1 on the Belmont lawn Oct. 15.

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