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Speightster Relocating to Ontario

Speightster (Speightstown–Dance Swiftly, by Danzig) has been purchased by Jay and Christine Hayden's Saintsbury Farms to stand the 2022 season at Northern Dawn Stables Inc., Hillsburgh, Ontario, Canada in a deal brokered by Chad Schumer of Schumer Bloodstock. A top-five second-crop sire in 2021 with progeny earnings approaching $4.3 million, the 'TDN Rising Star' previously stood at WinStar Farm. He will command a fee of C$6,500 this term.

“Canadian breeders will surely take note of the tremendous opportunity Speightster affords,” said Chad Schumer. “He is among the leading second-crop sires, behind only Not This Time, Nyquist, Frosted and Runhappy, and ahead of Laoban, Upstart, Outwork, Protonico, Brody's Cause and Mshawish among others.

“He immediately steps in as the second-ranked stallion in Ontario with bigger things to come from such as [Canadian] stakes winners Aubrieta and Dreaming of Drew and Tough To Tame, second in the GIII Iroquois at Churchill Downs and a Kentucky Derby contender.”

Speightster won the first three starts of his four-race career, capped by a clear victory in the 2015 GIII Dwyer S. His extremely strong pedigree will be particularly familiar to Canadian breeders, as his dam is a full-sister to Canadian Horse of the Year Dance Smartly from an extremely deep Sam-Son family of Canadian champions and Classic winners like Classy 'n Smart, Dancethruthedawn, Scatter the Gold, Say the Word, Hello Seattle and El Tormenta, top sire and GISW Smart Strike, et al.

“In terms of pedigree, all one can say is 'Wow,'” Schumer added. “By leading sire and sire of sires Speightstown and out of a Danzig half-sister to Smart Strike.”

For inquiries, contact Sherry McLean at 416-576-3815, sherrymclean88@gmail.com; or Bernard McCormack at 905-261-8852.

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Jan. 7 Insights: More Than Ready Rising Star Returns in Tampa Allowance

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

2nd-TAM, $31.5K, Alw/Opt. Clm ($75K), 3yo, 1m 40y, 1:09 p.m. ET

WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's EMMANUEL (More Than Ready) ran away to a well-bet debut victory and 'TDN Rising Star' honors last month at Gulfstream and will get his first two-turn test in this salty Tampa allowance early on Friday's card. Bought for $350,000 at Keeneland September, the bay was backed down to 7-5 against nine rivals when unveiled over a mile Dec. 11, shook off some early pace pressure and cruised home a 6 3/4-length winner. His rider that day, Luis Saez, travels across the Sunshine State to keep the mount. Emmanuel's main competition appears to be Conrad Farms' Golden Glider (Ghostzapper), who also impressed in a first-out victory, albeit with a totally different running style. Supported at 7-2 in a 12-horse field when unveiled going 1 1/16 miles Nov. 27 at Woodbine, the Mark Casse trainee dropped back to last before passing every rival and sweeping to the lead late for a one-length graduation. Fringe contenders include Trigger Happy (Gun Runner), who returns in just 11 days after romping to a 9 1/4-length debut score Dec. 27 at Hawthorne, Boitano (Nyquist), who earned his cap and gown for Godolphin and Eoin Harty here Nov. 27, and Cloud Play (Into Mischief), last seen running a close third in the Fitz Dixon, Jr. Memorial Juvenile S. Oct. 11 at Presque Isle. TJCIS PPs —@JBiancaTDN

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Walden: ‘If I Thought Bob Was Doing Anything Wrong, I Would Not Have Sent Country Grammer Back To California’

WinStar Farm president Elliott Walden told the Daily Racing Form on Monday that Grade 1 winner Country Grammer will be returning to the barn of embattled trainer Bob Baffert in Southern California. The 4-year-old son of Tonalist has not raced since capturing the G1 Hollywood Gold Cup at the end of May.

In the aftermath of the Baffert-trained Medina Spirit failing a drug test following his first-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, including Churchill Downs' and the New York Racing Association's bans of Baffert from their premises, WinStar shipped Coutnry Grammer East to the barn of trainer Todd Pletcher in mid-June.

“With the ban on Bob in Kentucky and New York right now, our opportunities are limited to the Pacific Classic in late August,” Walden wrote in a text to DRF at that time. “We are continuing to evaluate the situation with Bob and will adjust as we need to.”

An ankle injury prevented Country Grammer from making a start in Pletcher's care, but he has since recovered and is now back in Southern California, recording a four-furlong breeze in :50.40 at Santa Anita on Dec. 11.

“I sent Country Grammer and Life Is Good [former Baffert trainee who won the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile for Pletcher] back East because of the legal issues Bob was having at that time,” Walden told DRF this week. “We didn't know where they would be able to run. If I thought Bob was doing anything wrong, I would not have sent Country Grammer back to California.”

Pletcher Sends Out Pair Of Debut Winners At Gulfstream

Trainer Todd Pletcher unveiled a pair of impressive debut winners Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., where WinStar Farm LLC and Siena Farm were represented in the winner's circle by Emmanuel and Dean's List following their dominating triumphs in maiden special weight races for 2-year-olds.

Emmanuel, a son of More Than Ready, produced a dazzling front-running score in Race 7, running a mile in 1:36.47 to win by a comfortable 6 ¾ lengths as the 7-5 favorite.

Three races earlier on the card, Dean's List, a son of Speightstown, rolled to a 5 ½-length score in a six-furlong sprint.

“They had been workmates the last few times and they both trained like quality horses,” Pletcher said. “We were obviously not wanting to run them against one another, so we felt like this guy [Emmanuel] was better suited for the mile first time out. Glad it worked out.”

Both promising colts were ridden by Luis Saez, who also won the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector aboard Officiating.

Emmanuel, who broke cleanly and alertly from the rail post position, set fractions of :23.66 and :45.96 for the first half mile before completing six furlongs in 1:11.08 and seven furlongs in 1:23.66.

“I have to give him a lot of credit. To win from the one hole going a mile first time out, that's a demanding task. I'm proud of him for doing it and it looked like he did it the right way,” Pletcher said.

Dean's List pressed the pace set by Felix past fractions of :21.70 and :44.36 for a half mile before asserting himself in the stretch.

“We were hoping for a good performance. He'd been breezing like a horse that would run well in his debut. He broke sharply and ran a professional race,” Pletcher said. “They were rolling along but it looked like he was in hand, doing it comfortably, so we're happy with everything.”

The WinStar homebred, who went to post as the 6-5 favorite, ran six furlongs in 1:09.92.

Pletcher trained both More Than Ready, a most versatile G1 winner, and Speightstown, the 2014 Eclipse Award-winning sprinter – the respective sires of Emmanuel and Dean's List.

“We've had a lot of More Than Readys over the years, and this is a bigger, scopier colt than a lot of them,” Pletcher said. “I told someone this morning that was asking about him, I said he kind of reminds me of a Verrazano type – a big, physical, strong imposing colt. You're always concerned going a mile first time out, but we felt like he had shown us enough in the mornings.”

More Than Ready has been a highly successful sire of dirt and turf horses.

“It's been great to watch that over the years. It seems like just yesterday I was so anxious to see the first More Than Ready foals and now 20 years later, he's still going strong,” Pletcher said. “He's a phenomenal stallion, so versatile, he's just unbelievable.”

Dean's List is a Speightstown lookalike.

“He reminds us a lot of Speightstown. He's built like him and looks a lot like him,” said Pletcher. “Speightstown's had such a great career it's fun to have one.”

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