Speightstown

The day that will forever be remembered for a Cinderella story also contained a valuable corrective. Nobody, after all, will suddenly decide that the best route to the GI Kentucky Derby is simply to buy every $1,000 yearling that comes onto the market; nor does it now follow that every seven-figure yearling will necessarily prove a waste of money. Our industry will only remain viable so long as we all feel we have a puncher's chance, whatever our weight division. And if Medina Spirit (Protonico) sustained the longshot dreamer, then...

4th-Keeneland, $79,735, Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 4-2, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:23.76, ft, 4 1/2 lengths. CARRIBEAN CAPER (f, 3, Speightstown--Checkupfromzneckup {SP, $187,470}, by Dixie Union) romped by eight lengths on debut at Fair Grounds Feb. 13--good for 'TDN Rising Star' honors--and showed a new dimension Friday to remain unbeaten. Off at 4-5, the dark bay broke a touch flat-footed and eventually settled in to draft behind Tiz Splendid News (Maclean's Music) from third. Carried very wide by the pacesetter entering the stretch, she pulled clear midway down the lane and...

4th-KEE, $81K, OC 75k/N1X, 3yo, f, 7f, 2:45 p.m. ET CARRIBEAN CAPER (Speightstown) takes on winners for the first time following a 'TDN Rising Star' performance on debut on the  GII Risen Star S. undercard at Fair Grounds Feb. 13. The dark bay, a $250,000 KEESEP yearling purchase by Columbine Stable LLC, earned an 87 Beyer Speed Figure in that eight-length victory. "She's very smart and does everything right," trainer Al Stall, Jr. said in a recent column in TDN. "First, we'll just get a little bit more of a...

The highly regarded Performer (Speightstown), a hard-fought neck winner over Eye of a Jedi (Eye of the Leopard) in the GIII Fred W. Hooper S. Jan. 23, will look for his second straight tally over track and trip in Saturday's GII WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile S. The 2019 GIII Discovery S. winner was a disappointing third as the 4-5 favorite in the slop in the GI Cigar Mile H. two starts back Dec. 5. "He gutted it out pretty good," trainer Shug McGaughey said of Performer's Hooper win. "He was...

Knicks Go (Paynter) and Charlatan (Speightstown), a pair of major forces headlining the American racing scene in 2020, take on 12 others in Saturday's $20-million Saudi World Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Both Grade I winners in their latest starts, the pair represent two of America's leading trainers, Brad Cox, who took home his first Eclipse Award last season, and Bob Baffert, a 2020 finalist who had previously annexed four training titles. Knicks Go, winner of the 2018 GI Breeders' Futurity S. while under the care...

As former stable star and popular GISW Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike) gets his career at stud underway at WinStar Farm, a pair of flashy 3-year-old maiden winners and an emotional stakes victory have helped propel the 2021 season for veteran trainer Al Stall, Jr. "Trying to fill the shoes of horses like Blame and Tom's d'Etat are awfully tough," said Stall, who trained the former to a heart-stopping victory over Zenyatta in the 2010 GI Breeders' Cup Classic. "When horses like that leave the barn to go to Claiborne Farm...

Carribean Caper (f, 3, Speightstown--Checkupfromzneckup, by Dixie Union) kicked off Saturday's loaded GII Risen Star S. card with a 'TDN Rising Star' performance in the lid lifter at Fair Grounds. The 3-1 chance broke sharply and forced the issue on the outside from second through an opening quarter in :22.24 over the "good" going. Always traveling like the winner, she poked her head in front approaching the quarter pole, and with a shake or two of the reins from Colby Hernandez, took off in a flash to win going away...

A yearling colt by Speightstown (hip 128) brought the top price during Monday's opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale when bringing a final bid of $165,000 from Calumet Farm. Consigned by Stuart Morris, the yearling was one of four offerings to bring six figures during the day. In all, 207 horses sold Monday for a gross of $3,956,300. The average was $19,113 and the median was $8,000. The buy-back rate for the session was 21.6%. "I thought the activity today was very encouraging," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning,...

The first foal by Grade I-winning millionaire Force the Pass (Speightstown--Social Queen, by Dynaformer) arrived Feb. 4 at Murmur Farm in Maryland. The filly is out of Magical Point, a daughter of Point Given out of a stakes winning and producing full-sister to Grade I winner and sire Include (Broad Brush). Magical Point, the dam of three winners, and her filly are both owned by Wasabi Ventures Stables, who also stood Force the Pass at Anchor & Hope Farm in Maryland during the 2020 breeding season. Racing as a homebred...

MGSW Switzerland (Speightstown) caused an upset in the G3 Dubawi S. at Meydan on Thursday, the first group race on the opening card of the Dubai World Cup Carnival. Breaking in the air, the new gelding soon recovered and punched the breeze out six deep in the rush to the bend. Waady (Ire) (Approve {Ire}) led while glued to the fence under pressure from favoured Gladiator King (Curlin) and Good Effort (Ire) (Shamardal). Those three were soon tackled by Switzerland out in the middle of the track with a quarter...

Graded stakes winner Bobby's Wicked One (Speightstown--Wicked Charm, by Ghostzapper) will stand the 2021 season at Acadia Equine at Copper Crowne in Opelousas, LA. One of the few horses to beat champion Mitole (Eskendereya) when winning his debut by five lengths, Bobby's Wicked One scored a victory in the 2019 GIII Commonwealth S. at Keeneland before running second to Mitole in the GI Churchill Downs S. He went on to add two more stakes victories at Fair Grounds and retired with a record of 18-6-4-1 and earnings of $547,673 for...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency WELL-RELATED SPEIGHTSTOWN DEBUTS 7th-GP, $50K, Msw, 3yo, f, 5fT, 3:11 p.m. WinStar Stablemates got off to a great start for their 2021 season with a pair of victories and hope to add another with first time starter FIRST HOUR (Speightstown) at Gulfstream Sunday. Her dam General Jeanne (Honour and Glory) is a half to GSW Chace City (Carson City) and MGSW & GISP Justwhistledixie (Dixie Union), who is the dam of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and sire New Year's Day (Street Cry {Ire}); MGSW...