Roger Attfield

Chuck Fipke's Lady Speightspeare, named a 'TDN Rising Star' for an impressive frontrunning debut victory, backed that distinction up with a gusty success in Sunday's GI Natalma S. at Woodbine, punching her ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in the "Win and You're In" event. Unveiled as a 22-5 chance going seven furlongs over this course Aug. 22, the chestnut dictated terms and drew away down the lane to a 3 3/4-length graduation, with the runner-up also finishing six clear of the remainder. Drilling a sharp five-furlong...

Mark Casse has a strong chance to take home his third GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile with a trio of contenders set to line up for Saturday's "Win and You're In" event for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. Gary Barber's War of Will (War Front) tries to secure a Grade I double here off a win in Keeneland's GI Maker's Mile July 10. Winner of the GIII LeComte S., GII Risen Star S. and GI Preakness S. last season, the bay capped his sophomore term with a ninth in the GI...

The last time OXO Equine's Cambier Parc (Medaglia d'Oro) faced the starter was in Keeneland's GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. last October and the blue-blooded filly looks to mark her return in Saturday's GII Canadian S. at Woodbine. A front-running winner in the nine-furlong test for 3-year-old fillies, the Chad Brown trainee employed completely opposite tactics when closing from off the pace to score in the GI Del Mar Oaks in August. Earlier last season, she won the GIII Herecomesthebride S. at Gulfstream and the GIII Wonder Again...

Debutante Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown) followed in the hoofsteps of close relative and stablemate Shirl's Speight (Speighstown) Saturday to garner the 'TDN Rising Star' distinction off of a sharp unveiling over the Woodbine turf. Given a 4-1 chance off a steady, but unassuming series of drills over the Tapeta, the chestnut broke a half-step slowly but was rushed up in between rivals by Emma-Jayne Wilson to take over. She doled out and opening quarter of :22.65 with pressure to her inside, but was asked for a bit more rounding the bend...

Well-bred Shirl's Speight turned in one of the more impressive debuts of 2020 when he demolished nine rivals in front-running fashion over seven grassy furlongs here July 4, and the 'TDN Rising Star' handled two turns and Tapeta just as well Saturday to make the grade in Woodbine's GIII Marine S. Away well from the outside seven post, the favorite was content to sit second locked on to frontrunner Untitled (Khozan)'s right hip through splits of :24.59 and :48.68. He was asked for more by Rafael Hernandez heading into the...

Despite facing more seasoned rivals in Saturday's GIII Marine S. at Woodbine, Shirl's Speight (Speightstown) looms large in the traditional primer for the Queen's Plate, scheduled for Sept. 12. Sent off at 3-1 for a trainer not typically known for his first-time starters, the Roger Attfield trainee took control in the early going of the seven-furlong turf test July 4 and rolled home an emphatic eight-length winner under Rafael Hernandez, becoming a TDN Rising Star in the process. The Charles Fipke hombred is out of Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul {Ire})--a...

Shirl's Speight (Speightstown)'s dam Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul {Ire}) may have rallied from far back when she upended the 2011 GI Breeders' Cup F/M Turf at 27-1, but Shirl's Speight showed off impressive speed from the first jump Saturday at Woodbine to garner the 'TDN Rising Star' distinction. Sporting a mostly unassuming worktab over the local Tapeta, the Chuck Fipke homebred quickly assumed command and doled out splits of :23.02 and :45.38 while traveling well within himself. Rafael Hernandez still hadn't moved a muscle on the 3-1 shot as they...

Eternal Peace (War Front), who produced a solid effort to be fifth in her debut at Gulfstream Park last March, didn't see the racetrack again for another 13 months, but she began to make up for lost time with a determined maiden score in her first start back Sunday at Gulfstream Park for owner/breed Robert 'Shel' Evans and trainer Roger Attfield (video). The victory came some seven months after the filly's full-brother sold to Godolphin for $800,000 at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale. "She hadn't run in a year...