Lady Speightspeare

Lady Speightspeare, a Speightstown filly owned and bred by Charles Fipke and trained by Roger Attfield, won her career debut by 3 ¾ lengths in a seven-furlong turf race at Woodbine on Aug. 22, 2020. That effort gave her connections confidence to start her in the Sept. 20 Grade 1 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine, a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

The filly acted up in the starting gate and unseated jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson, but then settled down and broke well to stalk longshot Big Big Plans in second through the far turn before taking the lead in early stretch. Lady Speightspeare improved to 2-for-2 with a game three-quarter length win in the one-mile Natalma and punched her ticket to the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland in November.

Lady Speightspeare missed that year's Breeders' Cup with a knee injury, and did not return to the races until Sept. 6, 2021. She came back with an impressive two-length win in a second-level allowance optional claiming race at Woodbine, to run her record to 3-for-3.

Lady Speightspeare was entered in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland on Oct. 16, but was scratched at the gate. Undeterred, she returned to Woodbine and won the Grade 2 Bessarabian Stakes on Nov. 13.

On July 2, 2022, Lady Speightspeare won for the first time in 2022, snapping a streak of five consecutive defeats. She battled gamely on the inside and finished in a dead-heat with Crystal Cliffs in the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes. That gave her trainer, Roger Attfield, his 2,000th career victory.

Lady Speightspeare switched back to the synthetic main track at Woodbine for only the second time in her career in the Grade 3 Trillium Stakes Aug. 13 and, despite a wide trip, she reeled in runner-up Dreaming of Drew in the stretch and powered clear to prevail in 1:45.75 for 1 1/16 miles. She then won again on the Woodbine synthetic surface in her next start in the Grade 3 Seaway Stakes at seven furlongs on Sept. 17.

With a three-race winning streak that included two synthetic track wins and a Grade 2 turf win at Woodbine in her last race on a grass surface back in July, Lady Speightspeare was shipped to the Breeders' Cup to go back on the lawn in the Grade 1 $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Despite being sent off as a 32-1 longshot in a field of 12, Lady Speightspeare pressed the pace all the way and held on for a third-place finish.

Lady Speightspeare is out the Grade 2-winning Theatrical mare Lady Shakespeare, a full sister to multiple Grade 1 winner and millionaire Shakespeare. Other members of this filly’s accomplished female family include Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Perfect Shirl and Grade 1 winner Lady Shirl (Lady Speightspeare’s second dam).