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Saturday’s Kentucky Derby/Oaks Update

With three weeks remaining until the GI Kentucky Derby, the trio of Crown Pride (Jpn) (Reach the Crown {Jpn}) (six furlongs, 1:18.60), Cyberknife (Gun Runner) (five furlongs, 1:00) and Tiz the Bomb (Hit It a Bomb) (four furlongs, :48.40) worked at Churchill Downs Saturday.

Gold Square's GI Arkansas Derby winner Cyberknife worked at 9 a.m. outside of multiple stakes-placed stablemate Tommy Bee (Medaglia d'Oro). Cyberknife started two lengths behind Tommy Bee and completed fractions of :12.20, :23.80 and :47.20. Cyberknife finished even with Tommy Bee around the seven eighths pole and easily galloped out six furlongs in 1:15.40.

“I thought he looked great,” said trainer Brad Cox. “He's done well at Churchill in the past and really likes it here.”

About 90 minutes earlier, Magdalena Lessee's GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks S. winner Tiz the Bomb worked with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. in the irons. He recorded an opening quarter-mile in :24.20 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.20.

Moments later, exercise rider Masa Matsuda breezed Teruya Yoshida's G2 UAE Derby winner Crown Pride six furlongs from the half-mile pole. The duo easily completed opening fractions of :14.60, :28.20, :54 and 1:06.20. Crown Pride steadily picked up his work around the turn and onto the backside before completing his move through seven furlongs in 1:32.40.

Winngate Stables' unbeaten GI Kentucky Oaks contender Kathleen O. (Upstart), meanwhile, worked four furlongs in :48.60 Saturday morning at Keeneland.

According to Keeneland clockers, the GII Gulfstream Oaks heroine galloped out five furlongs in 1:01 and six furlongs in 1:15.80 after clocking splits of :12.80, :25.60 and :37.40 under exercise rider David Jego.

“I was hoping to see just what I saw,” trainer Shug McGaughey said. “She does not need a whole lot. She is coming off a race two weeks ago. [The time and the gallop out] were just what I was looking for. So far we are right on track.”

Tsunebumi and Sekie Yoshihara's Yuugiri (Shackleford), winner of the GIII Fantasy S., covered four furlongs in :50 at Keeneland with trainer Rodolphe Brisset aboard.

“You could see it a lot of times when horses would come here from Florida with the change in the air, the change in the weather that they would just blossom, and you can see it,” Brisset said. “She is doing that, and I am very pleased with her.”

Don't Tell My Wife Stables and trainer Keith Desormeaux's Bourbonette Oaks upsetter Candy Raid (Candy Ride {Arg}) worked four furlongs in :50.40 at Keeneland.

Slow Down Andy (Nyquist), winner of the GIII Sunland Derby, will miss the Kentucky Derby after recently spiking a temperature, according to a report in Horse Racing Nation.

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Weather Delays Work on Pimlico Dirt Track

Due to a forecast for rain early next week, work on the Pimlico Race Course dirt surface has been rescheduled for Monday, April 25, through Wednesday, April 27. The work, which entails an examination of previous work done on the base at Pimlico in advance of the spring meet, was scheduled for Easter Sunday, April 17, through Tuesday, April 19.

Pimlico and Laurel already were scheduled to close for training on Easter. The Maryland Jockey Club also said that because of the forecast for rain, entries will not be taken for grass races that were scheduled for Thursday, April 21, and Friday, April 22.

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Shirl’s Speight Upsets Maker’s Mile

Dispatched at 9-1 despite entering on a two-race win streak, 'TDN Rising Star' Shirl's Speight (Speightstown) sling-shotted his way to his first top-level score in Keeneland's GI Maker's Mile S. Friday afternoon.

Away in good order, the Fipke homebred bided his time in second last, running off the fence, as GI Shoemaker Mile winner and last out GI Breeders' Cup Mile runner-up Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute) dictated terms, putting up early splits of :24.95 and :49.63. Inching up a bit on the backstretch run, Shirl's Speight still had plenty left to do at the top of the lane as Smooth Like Straight valiantly tried to fend off heavily favored Juddmonte import Masen (GB) (Kingman {GB}). Racing way out in the center of the course, Shirl's Speight unleashed a furious rally, gobbling up ground late to nail Masen (GB) on the line.

“He sort of lost his way there after winning his first two starts,” winning trainer Roger Attfield said. “He's a very quick horse and he won those races all on the lead, easily. He didn't really gain any experience out of it. And then he had suspensory problems and we put him away for a while–quite a while–and I appreciate Mr. Fipke giving him that amount of time. They need it when they have that kind of injury.”

He continued, “We brought him back and he's run very well for me. In his last race, he was shut off and came with one big run, and I realized that's probably the way this horse really wants to run. So when I saw he was 50-1 on the morning line, I said, 'I can't be that far wrong.' I won this race with his grandfather [broodmare sire Perfect Soul (Ire) in 2004], and this is a better miler than he was. There was a lot of speed in the race and [Luis] Saez gave him a great ride. He let him do that and he came down the stretch fast, didn't he? I didn't know whether he was going to make it.”

“I was watching the replays and Roger called me,” Saez said. “He said the best way is to come from behind, so I decided to take him back right when we broke. It looked like that was the best decision to make. In the end, he was coming. He ran pretty hard and got there in time.”

Following his 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy debut victory with a win in the 2020 GIII Marine S., Shirl's Speight was off the board in his two starts in 2021, first in a main track sprint at Gulfstream in January and then in a two-turn off-the-turf event there in December. Returning to winning ways when getting back on grass at Tampa Jan. 15 of this year, the homebred rallied to victory in the GIII Tampa Bay S. last out Feb. 5.

Pedigree Notes:

Shirl's Speight is the 25th Grade I winner for his timeless sire Speightstown. He is also one 63 graded winners and 128 black-type scorers by that WinStar stalwart. The winner is just the second top-level scorer out of a daughter of Perfect Soul and one of three graded winners for that broodmare sire.

Charles Fipke purchased Shirl's Speight's Grade I-winning second dam Lady Shirl (That's a Nice) for $485,000 in foal to Theatrical (Ire) at the 2005 KEENOV sale. She had already produced MGISW Shakespeare (Theatrical {Ire}) and SW & MGSP Fantastic Shirl (Fantastic Light) prior to that auction and the foal she was carrying at the time turned out to be MGSW Lady Shakespeare. She produced one of Speightstown's other Grade I winners Lady Speightspeare, who was also a Canadian champion.

Shirl's Speight's dam Perfect Shirl captured the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Turf S. for Fipke and Attfield back in 2011. She has another black-type runner by Speightstown in GSP Speightstown Shirl. The 15-year-old mare did not have foals in 2019 or 2020, but had a More Than Ready filly in 2021 and a Speightstown filly Apr. 2 of this year.

MAKER'S MARK MILE S.-GI, $577,000, Keeneland, 4-15, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:35.93, gd.
1–SHIRL'S SPEIGHT, 123, h, 5, by Speightstown
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
   'TDN Rising Star' 1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Charles Fipke (KY);
T-Roger L. Attfield; J-Luis Saez. $358,050. Lifetime Record:
9-5-0-1, $566,665. *Full to Speightstown Shirl, GSP, $105,031.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
   Rating: B.
2–Masen (GB), 123, g, 4, Kingman (GB)–Continental Drift, by
Smart Strike. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd.
(GB); T-Chad C. Brown. $96,250.
3–Smooth Like Strait, 123, h, 5, Midnight Lute–Smooth as
Usual, by Flower Alley. O/B-Cannon Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY);
T-Michael W. McCarthy. $57,750.
Margins: NO, NK, 3/4. Odds: 9.00, 1.80, 3.20.
Also Ran: Atone, Mira Mission, Count Again, Set Piece (GB), In Love (Brz). Scratched: Ivar (Brz), Public Sector (GB), Somelikeithotbrown. 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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Ribchester’s Ruthin Prevails in the Limestone

Ruthin (GB) (Ribchester {Ire}) led home a 'TDN Rising Star' 1-3 finish in Friday's co-featured TVG Limestone S. at Keeneland, as she turned away a bid from her pace-pressing and favored stablemate, fellow 'Rising Star' Her World (Ire) (Caravaggio) and held off a late dive from Derrynane (Quality Road) for a narrow victory.

So quickly into stride that jockey John Velazquez reported post-race that he surged back in the irons, Ruthin, a six-length graduate in a course-and-distance maiden 51 weeks ago to become the first winner for her sire, cut out the running, but was kept in about the four path through an opening couple of furlongs in :22.59. Fractionally closer to the fence as they raced around the turn, Ruthin held the advantage, but there was plenty of room at the inside for stablemate Her World–herself a debut victress against the boys in the Tyro S. at Monmouth last August–if good enough when push came to shove. Try as she might, the gray filly just could not bridge the gap and the wire came in the nick of time for Ruthin. Derrynane, a late-running fourth to Stonestreet's Twilight Gleaming (Ire) (National Defense {GB}) in last year's GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, switched off at the back, was produced in upper stretch and attacked the line hard to just miss.

Seventh of 27 as the 3-1 favorite in last year's Listed Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot, Ruthin could return to that meeting, pending a dinner discussion with Barbara Banke, trainer Wesley Ward said.

The second stakes scorer for her G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and G1 Queen Anne-winning sire (by Iffraaj {GB}), Ruthin was the most expensive of the Darley stallion's first-crop yearlings when hammering to Ben McElroy on behalf of Stonestreet for 350,000gns at Tattersalls October in 2020. The dual stakes-winning Selinka is also the dam of a yearling colt by G2 Richmond S. hero Land Force (Ire) (No Nay Never).

TVG LIMESTONE S., $155,100, Keeneland, 4-15, 3yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 1:03.33, gd.
1–RUTHIN (GB), 118, f, 3, by Ribchester (Ire)
1st Dam: Selinka (GB) (MSW-Eng, $119,968), by Selkirk
2nd Dam: Lady Links (GB), by Bahamian Bounty (GB)
3rd Dam: Sparky's Song (GB), by Electric (GB)
'TDN Rising Star' 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. (350,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Highclere Stud & Jake Warren Ltd (GB); T-Wesley A Ward; J-John R Velazquez. $89,513. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $111,233. *1/2 to Hit The Bid (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), MGSW-Ire, GSP-UAE, GSP-Eng, $410,031.
2–Derrynane, 120, f, 3, Quality Road–Portmagee, by Hard Spun. O/B-Waterville Lake Stables (NY); T-Christophe Clement. $28,875.
3–Her World (Ire), 120, f, 3, Caravaggio–Mundus Novus, by Unbridled's Song. ($400,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $425,000 3yo '22 KEEJAN). 'TDN Rising Star' O-Andrew Farm, For the People Racing Stable LLC & Windmill Manor Farm; B-Lynch Bages Ltd & Rhinestone B/Stock (IRE); T-Wesley A Ward. $14,437.
Margins: NK, 3/4, NK. Odds: 8.10, 2.50, 1.10.
Also Ran: Lost My Sock, Unbridled Mary, Gun Boat, Sin City Gal, Thunder Love (GB). Scratched: Fast Corey, Kaufymaker. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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