Brought to you by AmWager
Shisospicy beats stablemate Cloe to the wire. (Jenny Doyle/Past The Wire)
D’Angelo trainee gets an “In” for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) at Del Mar on Nov. 1
Kentucky Downs Release
FRANKLIN, Ky. – From an impressive-as-can-be victory in the Grade 2 AGS Music City at Kentucky Downs Saturday, Shisospicy is headed to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) at Del Mar on Nov. 1.
In her first start since finishing 15th in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup June 20 at the Royal Ascot meeting, Shisospicy showed no ill-effects from the break in racing and easily handled a tough field in the $2 million Music City. She won by three lengths over her Jose D’Angelo stablemate Cloe.
Shisospicy, co-owned by Morplay Racing and Qatar Racing, completed the 6 1/2 furlongs against 3-year-old fillies in 1:14.54 and paid $8.42. She improved her career record to five wins from eight starts with $1,570,270 in earnings.
“At Ascot, we were unlucky there,” D’Angelo said. “That’s why I took my time, gave her enough time to prepare for this race, and she responded very well.”
When summoned by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. near the five-sixteenths pole, Shisospicy quickly moved ahead of Gata Brazil, who had pressed the speedy daughter of Mitole from the outside in the early stages of the Music City. The race was settled at that point as none of the others in the field of 12 was able to muster a late challenge in the run through the stretch following opening split times of :21.83 and :44.58.
“Very excited,” said D’Angelo. “I have to say thank you to all my team, to God, my owners for trusting me, Irad for his ride. We are very proud to get the Grade 2, for our horses to run first and second.”
D’Angelo said he did not have any concerns with the distance for either of his fillies. In her only other start at 6 1/2 furlongs, in her second-career start, the Fern Creek at Churchill Downs, she tired and finished third.
“I was very confident, because Shisospicy ran such a big race in the Mamzelle (at 5 1/2 furlongs, winning by 4 1/4 lengths) against good competition,” D’Angelo said. “And Cloe ran good at Santa Anita at the 6 1/2 (downhill turf course in the G3 Senorita). It was a very unlucky trip, her first time over that course. She was like, ‘Where am I?’ She ran third by a length. So, I was very confident.”
D’Angelo said that Shisospicy will run in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, where she will face older males. Cloe will compete in an undercard stake at a mile against fillies. The $1 million Turf Sprint is at a distance that D’Angelo feels is ideal for the gray/roan filly, who has won five of eight lifetime starts.
“Shisospicy at five furlongs on the turf, she’s so fast,” he said.
Ortiz agreed.
“She was flying,” the jockey said. “She broke so good. I’ve been working with her trying to get her to relax knowing we had to get that 6 1/2 furlongs. That was the real question. I learned a lot. Instructions were to let her relax. I didn’t want to take too much out of her. I just put her down on a long hold, and she came back to me, so that was great and then I had a horse come to me that she could aim for and that was beautiful. Turning for home, I could just keep letting her out little by little and she drew out. That was really nice. I appreciate an easy ride. D’Angelo did a great job having her ready, and she deserves all the credit. She’s a really nice filly.”
The most recent female winner of the Turf Sprint was Caravel in 2022.
Shisospicy was bred in Kentucky by Bill and Corrine Heiligbrodt, who raced Mitole the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) and Eclipse Award winner. She was purchased as a yearling for $200,000 by Morplay. Qatar Racing became a partner this year.
“She’s very fast. She’s very classy,” said Sheikh Fahad Al Thani of Qatar Racing. “It didn’t work out at Ascot, but she showed her class now. Hopefully, Jose can get her to win even more races, and the Breeders’ Cup is definitely in the cards now. But we’ll leave it to Jose and see what he wants to do.”
Sheikh Fahad said Shisospicy looked to be in top form entering the race.
“We were very confident,” he said. “She was training really well, and Jose really liked her coming into the race. Her works had been outstanding, and she looked fantastic in the paddock, so you know we were very confident.”
D’Angelo has had plenty of success at Kentucky Downs. A year ago, Howard Wolowitz won the Franklin-Simpson, which was a steppingstone to a start in the Breeders’ Cup. Last weekend he finished a troubled second in the $2 million The Mint Kentucky Turf Sprint.
BBN Racing’s Kilwin, the 9-5 favorite following her win in the Grade 1 Test on dirt at Saratoga, was a no-factor eighth, beaten 10 ¼ lengths.
“She’s giving up too much at the break,” trainer Rusty Arnold said. “First of all, a really good filly won this race, we’ve never beaten her. And she’s really good. Kilwin is not getting away clean and it’s something we’ve got to figure out. But you can’t do that every time. We got lucky last time…today it didn’t work that way. Jose (Ortiz) said he was following a horse and kind of backed up in front of him and he had to steady her a little bit. He wasn’t going to win the race, but he thinks he would have been a lot closer. Little bit disappointing, but she’s not a disappointing horse.”
Arnold said that Kilwin’s next start will probably be on dirt at seven furlongs at Keeneland.
