Grade 1 winner SHIRL’S SPEIGHT, owned and bred by Canadian Charles Fipke and trained by Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfield, was hand-walked on the shedrow at Tokyo racecourse on Friday, February 10, two days after arriving in Japan for the Feb. 19 February Stakes (G1). Shirl’s Speight, a stakes winner at Woodbine and recently a close second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) to Modern Games, is the first international horse to compete in the $2 million February Stakes. This one mile dirt race is a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
Accompanied by Allyson Hartfield, Shirl’s Speight went from the Florida sunshine to the snow in a matter of a few days. The son of Speightstown – Perfect Shirl by Perfect Soul (Ire) had a number of strong workouts at Payson Park in Stuart, Florida with Attfield up to Feb. 4 before he began his journey to Japan.
“He was in great spirits today,” said Hartfield. “We hand-walked him for a good 45 minutes and he was very happy in the snow. He’s eating well and I think he’s in good shape—he doesn’t look like he’s lost weight.