Speech Sharp for 2021 Debut in Doubledogdare

Grade 1 winner Speech  is primed and ready for her 2021 debut April 16 in the $100,000 Baird Doubledogdare Stakes (G3) at Keeneland, according to trainer Michael McCarthy.

"I'm excited to get her started," McCarthy said about the 4-year-old daughter of Mr Speaker   who set a track record last year at Keeneland in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1). "She's had a short freshening at WinStar and has come back and not missed a beat since. She seems like she's sharp and acting like she's got running on her mind."

Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Madaket Stables, and Heider Family Stables', Speech is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in a field of seven that will be racing 1 1/16 miles on the main track. The filly was second twice in graded company prior to the Ashland Stakes that she won by three lengths in then-track record time of 1:41.26. Knicks Go  would claim the record about three months later when he won an Oct. 4 allowance optional claiming race at the distance in 1:40.79. The son of Paynter   went on to win the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).

Breeders' Cup World Championships' Saturday didn't go so well for Speech. She gamely stalked Serengeti Empress  and eventual winner Gamine  in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) through blistering early fractions of :21.77 and :44.27 and then got knocked off stride at the top of the stretch and faded to sixth.

"Just one of those things," McCarthy said of the Breeders' Cup performance. Prior to the Breeders' Cup, Speech finished third with the disqualification of Gamine in 2020's Sept. 4 edition of the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1).

"I think she's ready to make some noise first time out, but she'll run her race, and hopefully, we'll see bigger and better things later in the year," the trainer said. Speech will be ridden by Javier Castellano, who was aboard in the Ashland, and will be breaking from post 6.

A trio of challengers will provide Speech plenty of competition. Likely to join Speech in the early running will be William S. Farish's homebred Royal Flag  and Beverly Anderson and Edward Seltzer's homebred Eres Tu .

Royal Flag, a 5-year-old daughter of Candy Ride  , also will be making her 2021 debut in the Doubledogdare. Trained by Chad Brown, her last start produced a 2 1/4-length win in the Turnback the Alarm Handicap (G3). She has four wins from eight starts and never finished off the board. Joel Rosario has the mount.

Eres Tu is a 5-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon   who also has a win at Keeneland, having won a 1 1/16-mile allowance race last October at the Lexington track. She went on to win the Allaire DuPont Stakes (G3) at Laurel Park. Eres Tu made her 2021 debut Feb. 20 at Gulfstream Park, where she was second in the Royal Delta Stakes (G3). Trained by Arnaud Delcour, the mare will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione and has been assigned 120 pounds. All other entries will carry 118.

Juddmonte Farms' homebred Bonny South  will provide stiff competition, too. The 4-year-old daughter of Munnings   won the TwinSpires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) last year and was second in the Alabama Stakes (G1), George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2), and the Nov. 26 Falls City Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, which was her most recent race. She was fourth behind Speech in last year's Ashland. Trained by Brad Cox, Bonny South comes into the Doubledogdare off a five-furlong :58 4/5 bullet work at Churchill Downs. The filly will be ridden by Florent Geroux, who won 26% of his starts with Cox last year.

Other starters include grade 3-placed Bajan Girl , stakes-placed High Regard , and multiple winner Graceful Princess .

The Doubledogdare is race 9 on the card with a 5:30 p.m. ET post time.

Entries: Baird Doubledogdare S. (G3)

Keeneland, Friday, April 16, 2021, Race 9

• Grade III
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 5:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Royal Flag (KY)	Joel Rosario	118	Chad C. Brown	5/2
2	2High Regard (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	118	Victoria H. Oliver	20/1
3	3Graceful Princess (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Todd A. Pletcher	12/1
4	4Eres Tu (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	120	Arnaud Delacour	4/1
5	5Bonny South (KY)	Florent Geroux	118	Brad H. Cox	3/1
6	6Speech (FL)	Javier Castellano	118	Michael W. McCarthy	8/5
7	7Bajan Girl (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	118	Rohan Crichton	15/1