Speaker's Corner | Horse Racing Free Tips

Carter Field Takes Shape

Godolphin's Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) and First Captain (Curlin), owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm, Woodford Racing and celebrity chef Bobby Flay, appear on course for a tilt at the seven-furlong GI Carter H. Apr. 9 at Aqueduct. This term, the former, trained by Bill Mott, has posted a pair of one-turn victories at Gulfstream Park–the GIII Fred Hooper S. Jan. 29 followed by the Mar. 5 GII Gulfstream Park Mile. Last year, he won three starts in New York, including a 6 3/4-length triumph in a Belmont optional claimer in October before finishing runner up in the nine-furlong Discovery S. He also finished a well-beaten sixth in the GI Pennsylvania Derby in September.

“He showed plenty last year,” said Godolphin bloodstock director Michael Banahan. “We tried stretching him out, but it wasn't really what he wanted to do. We got him back out to one-turn miles and he was impressive in both of those. That's what it looks like he wants to do.”

Speaker's Corner breezed four furlongs in :50.80 at Payson Mar. 18. The Godolphin homebred is out of Tyburn Brook (Bernardini), a daughter of 2006 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Round Pond.

“He's a bigger and stronger version of himself,” said Banahan. “Even as a foal and as a yearling, we always liked him on the farm. He's out of an unraced mare but has a very good pedigree. Once he went to Florida to get pre-trained, he showed plenty of talent. When he was sent to Bill, he said the same, so we were always hopeful of him.”

Also gearing up in next month's Carter, First Captain will aim to garner his first win at the top level. Bred by Bobby Flay Thoroughbreds, First Captain made a winning seasonal debut for Shug McGaughey in a seven-furlong allowance sprint at Gulfstream Feb. 27. Last season, he reeled off three-straight wins at Belmont, including a 1 3/4-length score in the GIII Dwyer going a one-turn mile at Belmont in July before finishing third in the July 30 nine-furlong Curlin S. at Saratoga.

“He's got that one-turn grinding type of style which, generally, is a tough style to win with at Gulfstream, so we were happy that he ran well,” said West Point Thoroughbreds spokesman Jason Blewitt. “The fact that he got up to win, not that it was a surprise, really felt great. We were proud of him to find the finish with such a closing kick. He bounced out if it in really good shape for Shug.”

Exceptional at the one-turn mile, the Carter will serve as a litmus test of sort to see whether he can win going two turns.

“I'm not totally convinced he doesn't want to go two turns,” said Blewitt. “Although the Curlin was disappointing out of him, it maybe was a case of a bad trip and he did have a minor ankle issue after that,” Blewitt said. “There's no denying that his races at Belmont last spring and summer were mighty impressive as well as the seven-eighths win at Gulfstream. It looks pretty black and white on paper that he's 4-for-4 around one turn, so I'm anxious to see how he'll stack up in the Carter. It's a race that has a very rich history.”

A strong performance from First Captain in the Carter could pave the way to the GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan H. June 11 at Belmont. Vekoma is the most recent horse to capture the Carter-Met Mile double in 2020.

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Fred Hooper Rematch in Gulfstream Park Mile

Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) and Fearless (Ghostzapper), one-two across the line in the GIII Fred W. Hooper S. Jan. 29, face off again in Saturday's GII WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile S.

The highly regarded Godolphin homebred Speaker's Corner, second after setting the pace in the 1 1/8-mile Discovery S. at Aqueduct Nov. 27, turned back to a mile with a sharp, wire-to-wire tally under an aggressive ride from Junior Alvarado in the Hooper.

Fearless, four of six with two seconds in Hallandale, rallied from last of eight to finish a good second as the favorite in the Hooper. He previously posted a smart decision in the local GIII Harlan's Holiday S. Dec. 18.

“He's doing well. He usually does well here. He should be sitting on a big race,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I wish it were a little further, but it's the option we have.”

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. will saddle the trio of impressive Jan. 7 optional claiming comeback winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Collaborate (Into Mischief), last out Hudson H. Oct. 30 winner Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic) and Hooper fourth Girolamo's Attack (Girolamo).

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Speedy Speaker’s Corner Scores Breakout Victory in Fred Hooper

Lightly raced Speaker's Corner had earned some strong speed figures up to this point for a horse without a stakes win, and he kicked off his 4-year-old campaign auspiciously with a breakthrough tally in Florida. A second-out graduate in New York as a fall juvenile over a very salty bunch of future stakes runners (Caddo River, Greatest Honour, Miles D, Bourbonic and Original), Speaker's Corner resurfaced off the long lay-off to crush Saratoga allowance foes by open lengths. The GI Pennsylvania Derby next out perhaps proved too much too soon, as he was a distant sixth behind Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) that day, but he bounced back just fine to take a Belmont optional claimer Oct. 29 with a gaudy 109 Beyer. He settled for second last out to old familiar foe Miles D (Curlin) after showing the way in Aqueduct's nine-furlong Discovery S., but this one-turn-mile trip figured to hit him right between the eyes.

Speaker's Corner broke well and eventually poked a head in front of foes on either side through a :22.13 first quarter. The bay was able to earn a sliver of separation after that, but he had to work for it through a :44.82 half. Favored GIII Harlan's Holiday S. winner Fearless was scrubbed on aggressively heading for home as Speaker's Corner still had his hands full with his company up front. Speaker's Corner put away Officiating as he straightened for home, and he dug in ferociously to hold sway Fearless, who was previously 5-4-1-0 over this strip and was representing the red-hot Todd Pletcher barn.

“It was just a phenomenal performance by him,” said winning pilot Junior Alvarado. “We always thought very high of him. He's been a bit of a process to build up and to get to this race and the way he did it. He has a great a great trainer in Bill Mott. I think I was just a passenger today. He was very good today. He put up the fast fractions with horses on the inside and outside. He put them away and still had enough courage to draw away home very strong.”

Mott added, “We didn't know if we'd be on the lead. We didn't really plan to be there, but the horse broke well and he was taking him and he was traveling easily. He was in between horses and he said he didn't want to get jammed up so he let him cruise on and it worked out well. They took a little run at him around the turn and he was able to repel those horses and, of course, good enough to hold off the late challenge of Fearless.”

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
FRED W. HOOPER S. PRESENTED BY HILL 'N' DALE FARMS AT XALAPA-GIII, $150,000, Gulfstream, 1-29, 4yo/up, 1m, 1:35.26, ft.
1–SPEAKER'S CORNER, 118, c, 4, by Street Sense
                1st Dam: Tyburn Brook, by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Round Pond, by Awesome Again
                3rd Dam: Gift of Dance, by Trempolino
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN.
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Junior Alvarado.
$90,210. Lifetime Record: 7-4-1-1, $286,850.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Fearless, 124, g, 6, Ghostzapper–And Why Not, by Street Cry
(Ire). ($725,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP; $120,000 RNA 4yo '20
FTKHRA; $205,000 5yo '21 FTKHRA). O-Repole Stable; B-Helen
K. Groves Revocable Trust (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $29,100.
3–Officiating, 124, c, 4, Blame–Come a Callin, by Dixie Union.
($100,000 RNA Ylg '19 KEESEP). O/B-Vegso Racing Stable (FL);
T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. $14,550.
Margins: 1 1/4, 9 1/4, 2HF. Odds: 1.50, 1.30, 22.70.
Also Ran: Girolamo's Attack, Liam, Shivaree, Payne, Dennis' Moment. Scratched: Bon Raison. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

Speaker's Corner is bred identically to MGISW Maxfield, who will begin his first season at stud for Darley in a couple weeks. Fellow Darley resident Street Sense now has 82 stakes winners, 36 of them graded. The late Bernardini, meanwhile, one of the hottest broodmare sires of the last few years, is responsible for the dams of 61 stakes winners (34 graded) and counting. Colonel Liam (Liam's Map), also out of a Bernardini mare, defended his title in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. one race later Saturday.

The winner's unraced dam is a daughter of 2006 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff heroine Round Pound (Awesome Again)–she rode the same Churchill rail that day that Street Sense charged up for his GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile romp. Round Pond was acquired by Sheikh Mohammed for a sale-topping $5.75 million at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton November sale. Her black-type earning progeny include G1 Al Maktoum Challenge winner Long River (A.P. Indy).

Speaker's Corner is his dam's first foal. He has a year-younger full-brother named Town Branch who shows an upbeat worktab at Payson Park, a 2-year-old half-brother by Maclean's Music and a yearling half-brother by Nyquist born last May.

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Speaker’s Corner Turns Back Fearless In Fred W. Hooper Stakes

Godolphin homebred Speaker's Corner ran a big race in Saturday's Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper Stakes at Gulfstream Park In Hallandale Beach, Fla., fighting for a contested early lead and fending off the late challenge of 6-5 favorite Fearless to win by a length. The 4-year-old son of Street Sense, ridden by Junior Alvarado for trainer Bill Mott, ran a mile over the fast main track in 1:35.26. Speaker's Corner was sent off as the 3-2 second choice.

Speaker's Corner set taxing fractions in the Hooper but still had enough in reserve to hold off Fearless in the one-mile race named for one of Florida's most iconic horsemen. With Junior Alvarado in the irons, Speaker's Corner assumed command along the backstretch before unleashing his winning kick in the stretch to record his first stakes victory. Fearless, the 6-5 favorite, circled horses in the turn and rallied gamely in the stretch but could not overtake the winner, falling a length short of Speaker's Corner. Officiating finished third.

Winning trainer: (Bill Mott): “We didn't know if we'd be on the lead. We didn't really plan to be there, but the horse broke well and he was taking him and he was traveling easily. He was in between horses and he said he didn't want to get jammed up so he let him cruise on and it worked out well. They took a little run at him around the turn and he was able to repel those horses and, of course, good enough to hold off the late challenge of Fearless.”

Winning jockey: (Junior Alvarado): “It was just a phenomenal performance by him. We always thought very high of him. He's been a bit of a process to build up and to get to this race and the way he did it. He has a great a great trainer in Bill Mott. I think I was just a passenger today. He was very good today. He put up the fast fractions with horses on the inside and outside. He put them away and still had enough courage to draw away home very strong.”

Bred in Kentucky by his owner, Speaker's Corner is out of the unraced Bernardini mare Tyburn Brook. His second dam, Round Pond (Awesome Again), won the 2006 Breeders' Cup Distaff and is also the dam of Grade 1 winner Long River.

Speaker's Corner broke his maiden at second asking as a 2-year-old, didn't make it back to the races until late in his 3-year-old season, and was second last-out in the listed Discovery Stakes at Aqueduct. Overall, the colt has won four of his seven starts to earn over $280,000.

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