Shirl's Speight Faces Brown Trio in $1M Turf Classic

When Shirl's Speight  notched a breakthrough top-level victory last month in the Maker's Mark Mile Stakes (G1T) there was probably as much of a buzz about his morning-line odds as his accomplishment.

It certainly did not take social media long to note that the 5-year-old son of Speightstown  's nose victory came after he was listed at a baffling price of 50-1 in the morning like for the Keeneland stakes.

Once the betting opened, and a few scratches shortened the field, Charles Fipke's homebred Shirl's Speight received a more fitting amount of attention for a grade 3 winner in his prior start as he was dismissed at 9-1 odds in the field of eight.

Rest assured, when he returns for trainer Roger Attfield May 7 in the $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (G1T) at Churchill Downs, Shirl's Speight will be listed light years away from that 50-1 price in the morning line and 9-1 at post time figures to be generous as well based on the way he used a furious rally to prevail in the final strides of the Maker's Mark Mile after he was seventh at the eighth pole.

Shirl's Speight, who will face nine rivals Saturday, tipped his big effort in the Maker's Mark Mile in his previous start when he pulled away in the final furlong to record a 1 1/2-length victory in the Tampa Bay Stakes (G3T). It came on the heels of an allowance optional claiming win in his 2022 debut and marked his first stakes win since taking the 2020 Marine Stakes (G3) in his second start.

Out of the Perfect Soul mare Perfect Shirl , who captured the 2011 Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T), Shirl's Speight enters Saturday's 1 1/8-mile turf stakes with wins in five of his nine starts and earnings of $566,665.

"Everything that (Perfect Shirl) has produced has got an attitude, also," Attfield said after the Maker's Mark Mile. "I like that. I like to see if I can get inside a horse's head, and work with them. They're all different, right? That I like more than anything else."

Shirl's Speight edged the Chad Brown-trained Masen  in the Maker's Mark and once again figures to receive his most formidable challenge from a horse trained by the four-time Eclipse Award winner. Brown will send out three starters in a bid for a fourth straight win in the Turf Classic after Domestic Spending  finished in a dead heat with Colonel Liam  for the win spot in last year's race and Digital Age  and Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar  won the 2019 edition.

Brown's contingent features Adhamo , who was second by a head to Turf Classic starter Cavalry Charge  when he made his U.S. debut in the Feb. 19 Fair Grounds Stakes (G3T).

Owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Louis Lazzinnaro, the 4-year-old son of Intello  was a group 3 winner in France last year.

Both Public Sector  and Tribhuvan  will be making their first start in 2022 for Brown.

Tribhuvan, a speedy Toronado gelding owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Wonder Stable, won the United Nation Stakes (G1T) last year but closed out 2021 by fading to 13th in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T).

Klaravich Stables' Public Sector, a multiple grade 2-winning son of Kingman , was fourth in the Hollywood Derby (G1T) in his final start at 3.

Bonne Chance Farm and Stud R D I's grade 1 winner Ivar  will make his 2022 debut in the Turf Classic, starting for the first time since Nov. 6 when he finished third in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile Presented by PDJF (G1T) for trainer Paulo Lobo.

The 6-year-old son of Agnes Gold , who won the 2020 Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes (G1T), was sixth in last year's Turf Classic, losing by two lengths.

Godolphin's Santin  and West Point Thoroughbreds, William Sandbrook, and Robert Masiello's Calvary Charge are exiting the Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes Presented by Horse Racing Nation (G2T) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots where they were second and third, respectively.

Santin, a homebred 4-year-old Distorted Humor colt trained by Brendan Walsh, is searching for his first graded stakes victory in a career that also includes a runner-up finish in the Hollywood Derby (G1T) and a fourth in the Fair Grounds Stakes when he was beaten by a half-length .

He was second throughout in the Muniz, finishing 2 1/2 lengths behind the front-running Two Emmys  while making his fifth career start.

A 5-year-old Honor Code   gelding trained by Dallas Stewart, Cavalry Charge has won five of his 17-lifetime starts. Similar to the morning-line perception about Shirl's Speight, he was overlooked in the Fair Grounds and posted his victory at 35-1 odds while making his graded stakes debut.

The Mary Abeel Sullivan Revocable Trust's Mira Mission  was fifth in the Maker's Mark Mile, but was just 1 1/4 lengths behind Shirl's Speight. The Noble Mission  gelding won the Canadian Turf Stakes (G3T) in his prior start.

Entries: Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic S. (G1T)

Churchill Downs, Saturday, May 07, 2022, Race 11

• Grade IT
• 1 1/8m
• Turf
• $1,000,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 5:27 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Ivar (BRZ)	Joseph Talamo	123	Paulo H. Lobo	4/1
2	2Bizzee Channel (KY)	Gerardo Corrales	123	Larry Rivelli	30/1
3	3Public Sector (GB)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	123	Chad C. Brown	5/1
4	4Tribhuvan (FR)	Manuel Franco	123	Chad C. Brown	5/1
5	5Mira Mission (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	123	Ian R. Wilkes	10/1
6	6Shirl's Speight (KY)	Luis Saez	123	Roger L. Attfield	3/1
7	7Cavalry Charge (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	123	Dallas Stewart	12/1
8	8Adhamo (IRE)	Flavien Prat	123	Chad C. Brown	9/2
9	9Kentucky Ghost (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	123	Victoria H. Oliver	20/1
10	10Santin (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	123	Brendan P. Walsh	6/1