Thursday’s Racing Insights: Rising Star Knightsbridge Returns at Gulfstream

6th-GP, $91K, Opt. Clm, 3yo, 1m, 3:40p.m.
Godolphin's TDN Rising Star KNIGHTSBRIDGE (Nyquist), not seen since his TDN Rising Star-earning performance last fall, marks his return for trainer Bill Mott. The homebred is a half to GISW Speaker's Corner is out of Tyburn Brook (Bernardini), a daughter of dual Grade I winner Round Pound, who brought $5.75 million at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Sale in 2017. Knightbridge's unraced dam is a half-sister to GISW Long River (A.P. Indy) and SW & GSP Lake Lucerne (Dubawi {Ire}). Junior Alvarado gets the call.

Trainer Todd Pletcher has two entered here, including Turn Up the Trees (Liam's Map). A $500,000 KEESEP purchase, the St Elias Stable runner won on debut going six panels in Hallandale Jan. 13 before fading to be a forgivable seventh while stretching to 7 1/2 furlongs on the grass Feb. 10. Getting blinkers on for this return to the main, the colt will be reunited with Johnny Velazquez, also in tow for the colt's winning debut. TJCIS PPS

 

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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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