It was easy to see the huge grin on trainer Roger Attfield’s face even with his face-covering.
The Hall of Fame trainer has made a career out of developing world class racehorses – champions, Triple Crown winners – through almost half a century at his Woodbine racetrack barn. Along the way there have been many ‘projects’, working with quirky types who need lots of special care to realize their potential.
That was the case with LADY SPEIGHTSPEARE, who zoomed to an impressive win in the Grade 2 Bessarabian Stakes on Saturday, Nov. 13, her second race since 2020 and her first race on the Tapeta main track. Charles Fipke’s talented 3-year-old chestnut filly was the 2020 Champion 2-year-old filly in Canada based on two wins from two starts including the Grade 1 Natalma Stakes. She was set to compete in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf but was sidelined by an injury that would keep her in the barn until this fall.
The Speightstown – Lady Shakespeare by Theatrical (Ire)) gal won her 2021 return at Woodbine and was sent to Keeneland for the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth on Oct. 16, only to be scratched behind the gate when she became fractious. She was later scratched early from the Valleyview Stakes at the track as well before popping up in the Bessarabian.
Sent off at 5-to-1 with Emma-Jayne Wilson on board, Lady Speightspeare remained undefeated in her career with a strong win in this seven-furlong dash, rewarding the trainer, his staff, owner, and rider for their patience and work.
Our Secret Agent (Secret Circle), the 7-5 choice, struck the front at the outset of the seven-furlong main track race for fillies and mares, three-year-olds and upward, taking the eight-horse field (Spun Glass was scratched) through an opening quarter-mile in :23.47 as Emma-Jayne Wilson and Lady Speightspeare watched the proceedings from a half-length back in second.
It was status quo up front through a half timed in :45.65 as Our Secret Agent extended her lead to 1 ½-lengths over Lady Speightspeare.
As the field made its way into the turn for home, Wilson gave Lady Speightspeare her cue and the daughter of Speightstown responded with a brilliant burst of speed to seize the lead and hold a 1 ½-length advantage at the stretch call.
The three-year-old Kentucky-bred then powered away from her foes to the tune of a four-length score in a time of 1.21.03, as Wilson delivered a series of pats to the filly just past the wire. Our Secret Agent held for second, one-length clear of La Libertee.
“I’m pretty relieved, to be honest with you,” offered Attfield. “She’s very special. When we went to Keeneland, and what happened there in the Queen Elizabeth, was so upsetting because she was so good and I really, really, liked doing that race. It was an important race, a Grade One race. I got her back here and we had lots of options of different places to go. Emma’s been great and it all came together. But the race itself, I wasn’t really sure how well she’d handle the synthetic. She held it okay. We always thought that she was quite a bit better on the turf, I still think she is. But the main thing was to get this gate thing sorted out and it seemed like we did today.”
Attfield trained Lady Speightspeare’s dam, Lady Shakespeare, who won the Grade 2 New York Stakes in 2010 for Fipke and was fourth in the 2009 Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup.
Lady Shakespeare is out of E.P. Taylor Stakes winner LADY SHIRL, Irish Acres Farm’s amazing mare who won the Flower Bowl (G1), and 11 of 26 races. Lady Shirl is also the dam of Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner PERFECT SHIRL, also trained by Attfield, FANTASTIC SHIRL and Woodbine Mile (G1) winner SHAKESPEARE.
Lady Shakespeare’s first four foals include two minor winners and her 2-year-old of this year, READY LADY, was a debut winner at Woodbine.
Gary Barber’s OUR SECRET AGENT, with her second-place finish, will be a strong contender to win the Sovereign Award for Champion Female Sprinter based on her Grade 3 Hendrie Stakes win and second-place finishes in the Seaway and Whimsical, both Grade 3s.
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Another Casse trainee, SKYGAZE, has also taken her time to have some better luck. Tracy Farmer’s 4-year-old by American Pharoah – Skyscape by Marquetry won the 2019 Mazarine Stakes in her third race as a juvenile in 2019 but was disqualified from the Grade 3 win. She was out of sorts through her races through the next year; then, in October 2020, she won an allowance race at Woodbine at 11-to-1, starting a three-race winning streak. She landed third in the Trillium Stakes (G3) in June, won the Belle Mahone Stakes and then was second when all washed out in the Grade 3 Ontario Matron.
Saturday she powered to a big win in the Grade 3 Maple Leaf Stakes and likely locked up Champion Older Female (Main Track) honours for the Sovereign Awards.
Patrick Husbands and Skygaze were sent off as the slight 3-1 choice and hugged the rail as Broadway Lady, another Casse trainee, led the field through early splits of :24.93 and :50.57.
As the field made the turn for home, Skygaze, under a perfect trip from Husbands, easily took command and then proceeded to dash away from her rivals down the lane, crossing the line a 4 ½-length winner in a time of 2:03.65. Sister Otoole was second and Merveilleux was third.
“I was driving my Ferrari,” said Husbands, who rode his 3,500th North American winner on Friday at Woodbine. “She gives you everything she has to give you.”
Skygaze was a $300,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase.
More Saturday at Woodbine
Trainer PHIL HALL won his third race in less than a week when BLAZING SKY won race 2, a maiden claiming ($25,000) dash under Sahin Civaci. Blazing Sky was coming off a messy outing on Oct. 23, her second career race, when she was checked twice, but she had a nice trip in this win for owners Parven Sorensen, Mort Hall, Brian Albertson, and Dennis Tucker. A BC CTHS yearling purchase, the Kentucky-bred is by Sky Mesa.
INSPECTOR RELOAD, a 2-year-old filly by Ontario stallion RELOAD, was an impressive debut winner in race 3 for owner and breeder Joey Gee Thoroughbreds. The Andrew Smith trainee took fast workout times into the race and ran to them.
The filly was bought back from the 2019 CTHS Ontario Mixed Sale as a weanling as she did not get the minimum bid of $750. She earned more than $60,000 for the debut win.
At the same sale mentioned above, the CTHS Mixed Sale, MATT DOUGLAS bought UNSPEAKABLE for $1,500 from James and Janine Everatt and Arika Everatt-Meeuse. The grey by Conquest Curlinate – Krz Executive by Bold Executive, won his maiden for $25,000 on Saturday in his second career race.
GAMBLE’S SILVER, a homebred for Ivan Dalos, won a maiden allowance/optional, race 6, to become the 5th winner from 7 starters for her sire GAMBLE’S EXCHANGE in 2021. Gamble’s Exchange, by Exchange Rate, has six winners from eight starters from a few private crops and he stands at T C Westmeath Stud.
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