Shirl’s Speight got his second career graded stakes win in Saturday’s $175,000 Tampa Bay S. (G3) over the Tampa Bay Downs turf, coming from off the pace to run down Get Smokin in the final furlong.
The 5-year-old son of Speightstown was making just his eighth lifetime start and was coming off an impressive Jan. 15 allowance win over this same course. He was in mid-pack early on Saturday, several lengths off the pace set by Get Smokin, who covered a half-mile in :47.95 and six furlongs in 1:11.91.
At the top of the stretch, it appeared Get Smokin was a certain winner, but Shirl’s Speight and Emma-Jayne Wilson split horses to find a clear path with a furlong to go. The bay found another gear late and blew past Get Smokin to win by 1 ½-lengths in 1:41.20 on the firm turf.
“It was a beautiful race, no question,” winning trainer Roger Attfield said. “I liked the way he did it today – I don’t really want him to be speed all the time, but he’s got a lot of speed. (Wilson) rode him very well. I definitely thought (Get Smokin) was the horse to beat.”
Winner of the Marine S. (G3) in 2020, Shirl’s Speight has now won half of his starts and earned $208,615 for owner/breeder Charles Fipke. The winner is out of Perfect Shirl, Fipke’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) winner. Perfect Shirl’s siblings included multiple graded winners Shakespeare and Lady Shakespeare.
For Speightstown, Shirl’s Speight is his fifth stakes horse and third stakes winner of 2022. He got his sixth stakes horse of the year Saturday at Tampa Bay as well when Lady Speightspeare, who races for the same connections as Shirl’s Speight, finished a game second in the Endeavour S. (G3).
