Lady Shipman Prepares for 2016 Debut

Ranlo Investments' multiple stakes winner Lady Shipman, most recently second against males in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT), could make her 4-year-old debut in the $75,000 Ladies Turf Sprint Feb. 6 at Gulfstream Park.

The Midshipman   filly won seven of 10 starts with two seconds, one third, and $513,600 in earnings last year for trainer Kathleen O'Connell and was an Eclipse Award finalist for champion female sprinter. She finished third in the voting behind La Verdad and Wavell Avenue.

Lady Shipman was moved to the barn of trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and has had three works at Palm Meadows Training Center, most recently a half-mile breeze in :48 2/5 Jan. 21.

"Kathleen O'Connell obviously did a great job with her," McLaughlin said. "We just hope we do as good a job as she did. I don't normally like to take horses from people. The owner asked us to take her in hopes of going to Dubai. It's not like Kathleen did anything wrong. She did great with this filly.

"We'll have another work and hopefully she'll be ready to go. She was training in Ocala so she doesn't need a lot. She stays pretty fit and does everything right. She's a real kind filly to be around."

McLaughlin said the Ladies Turf Sprint will be used as a prep for the five-furlong, $1 million Al Quoz Sprint (UAE-I) March 28 on the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) program.

"It would be against the boys, like the Breeders' Cup, but she has proven she can do that," McLaughlin said. "She's a very talented filly."

In the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, Lady Shipman, a confirmed front-runner, rated in fourth before putting in a bid that fell only a neck short of catching the winner, Mongolian Saturday.