Irad Ortiz to Ride Lady Shipman in BC

Following a narrow defeat when heavily favored in the Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes Oct. 9 at Keeneland, Ranlo Investments' Lady Shipman is still on target for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT) on Oct. 31, according to trainer Kathleen O'Connell.

"She's super. She came out of the race very good," said O'Connell, who is based year-round at Gulfstream Park West, the site of Lady Shipman's first two career starts and first win. "The Breeders' Cup was the owner's main goal."

A sophomore daughter of Midshipman  , Lady Shipman took a four-race win streak, all in stakes, into the Buffalo Trace Franklin County, having captured the Crank It Up and Klassy Briefcase at Monmouth Park and the Coronation Cup and Smart N Fancy (in which she set a course record of 1:00.46 for 5 1/2 furlongs on turf), all by open lengths.

But after pressing the pace through quick fractions at Keeneland in the Buffalo Trace Franklin County, the speedy chestnut was caught at the wire by veteran race mare Ageless to finish second, beaten just a head. It was just the third defeat of Lady Shipman's 11-race career.

"She got beat a head," O'Connell said. "We didn't tell her she lost; we just told her they ran out of camera film. She ran big.

"I think it was just a combination of everything that got her beat. She's just a baby compared to the rest of them, and I think people forgot about the fact that she's still a 3-year-old and that was just her 11th race. The turf was a little soft, it rained, (and) I don't think she saw the other horse."

O'Connell also said that Irad Ortiz, Jr., ranked second in the nation in earnings in 2015, will ride Lady Shipman in the Breeders' Cup. Ortiz was aboard Lady Shipman in her record-setting performance in the Smart N Fancy and replaces regular rider Eduardo Nunez, who was aboard in the Buffalo Trace Franklin County.

"The owner has decided to ride Oritz," said O'Connell, who noted she was not displeased at all with Nunez's ride in the Buffalo Trace Franklin County. Nunez received some backlash on social media for his performance, with some accusing the journeyman of getting too confident and easing up on his mount too early in the stretch, but O'Connell disagreed.

"That was the first time ever we had to lead her over with a lip shank, because she was that sharp," she said. "You could see Eddie (Nunez) had his hands full the first part trying to rate her up the other horse, and I think it was just a combination of everything. The fact that she's not a filly that really likes a lot of whip—if you look at any of her races, she's never been hit—it wasn't like we were going to start pounding on her there."

O'Connell said Lady Shipman came out of her race with plenty of energy. The filly, who stabled at Keeneland before the Buffalo Trace Franklin County, will remain there through the Breeders' Cup and will likely have one more easy work before the race.

"We had to lip shank her to lead her from the (test) barn, because she was bucking and playing," she said. "With the cool weather, all the horses have felt good, and it's been great having her up there, so she'll be able to walk out of the stall for the big dash."