Speak Easy draws clear to win on debut Jan. 27 at Gulfstream Park (Coglianese)
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.— It remains to be seen if he can replicate his father’s success on the racetrack but, so far, Speak Easy is off to a good start.
Owned by Siena Farm and breeder WinStar Farm, the 3-year-old Constitution colt launched his career in style with a professional 1 ¾-length victory in a seven-furlong maiden special weight on the Jan. 27 Pegasus World Cup (G1) undercard at Gulfstream Park.
In a race that produced last year’s Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mage, Speak Easy covered the distance in 1:21.96 over a fast main track, stalking outside 3-2 favorite Victory Avenue under Irad Ortiz Jr. before taking a short lead into the stretch and drawing clear.
“He came out of it really well,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He seemed to handle it all in stride and looked good. We were pleased with him, especially coming out of the one-hole first time going seven furlongs. It can be difficult, but he broke great and allowed Irad to put him in a perfect stalking position. They were running right along and just kept going. It was a big effort.”
Speak Easy had six timed breezes last spring and summer for Pletcher at Belmont Park before needing some time off. He returned in mid-November at Palm Beach Downs, where he worked eight times for his unveiling.
“We had him going pretty well last summer and was getting close to a race when he had a minor setback, so we gave him some time. Thankfully, he came back in good order,” Pletcher said. “The fact that he had a pretty good foundation last summer I think helped in preparing him for his debut. He’d always trained really well, but I think that performance even exceeded our expectations.”
Pletcher also trained Constitution who, like Speak Easy, went unraced at 2 and debuted with a maiden special weight victory in January 2014 going seven furlongs at Gulfstream. From there he won an optional claiming allowance and the Florida Derby (G1), returning the following year to capture the Donn Handicap (G1), precursor to the Pegasus World Cup.
“I think we’ll just kind of see how he trains and leave all our options open,” Pletcher said of Speak Easy’s next start. “If we get the opportunity to run in an allowance race, that could be an option. I guess running as fast as he did, if he had to go into a stake, I suppose you could make an argument for that, as well.”
