Shirl’s Speight

A grade one winning miler, Shirl’s Speight is by Champion Sprinter and sire of sires, Speightstown, and has a grade one winning first and second dam.

Speightstown and sons have enjoyed remarkable success with mares from the Danzig branch of Northern Dancer, with more than 40 stakes winners including grade one winners out of mares by Belong to Me, Danehill, Lost Soldier (a Northern Dancer/Secretariat cross like the broodmare sire of Shirl’s Speight), Langfuhr (whose son, Lawyer Ron is also broodmare sire of a Spieghtstown line stakes winner) and Orpen, graded winners out of mares by Dayjur, Hard Spun and Honor Grades, and stakes winners out of mares by Partner’s Hero, War Chant Exchange Rate and Chief’s Crown (sire of Concerto and grandsire of Bellamy Road) and mares by War Front and sons, such as Air Force Blue, Data Link, Declaration of War, Hit It A Bomb, Jack Milton and Summer Front should also work. 

The Deputy Minister branch of Northern Dancer has also done very well under Speightstown, with grade one winners out of a mare by Deputy Minister himself, a grade one winner out of a mare by Tejabo, and graded stakes winners out of mares by Ghostzapper and his sire, Awesome Again (also sire of Oxbow, Paynter and Awesome of Course), and Salt Lake, and stakes winners out of mares by Posse and Archers Bay and their sire Silver Deputy (also sire of Badge of Silver and Spring At Last) and Touch Gold. It could also be worth considering Dehere (sire of Graeme Hall) who is a Northern Dancer/Secretariat cross like the broodmare sire of Shirl’s Speight.  

Speightstown is out of a mare by a son of Storm Cat, but he and his sons have sired nearly 40 stakes winners out of Storm Cat line mares, and here Storm Cat doublels the Northern Dancer/Secretariat cross. This includes Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) hero, Straight No Chaser, out of a mare by Johannesburg (sire of Scat Daddy, also broodmare sire of Speightstown line stakes winners). Johannesburg is by Hennessy and there are also two stakes winners out of mares by his son, Henny Hughes and another out of a mare by Hennessy son, Wiseman’s Ferry. Speightstown grade one winner Echo Town is out of a mare by Menifee, a son of Harlan. From the same branch, there are also two graded winners out of mares by Harlan’s Holiday (sire of Into Mischief – himself broodmare sire of a Speightstown line stakes winner – Shanghai Bobby and Majesticperfection). There is a stakes winner out of a mare by Giant’s Causeway, and out of mares by his sons, there is a graded winner from a daughter of Cowboy Cal and a stakes winner out of a mare by Fairbanks, with Giant’s Causeway also available through Not This Time, Creative Cause, Eskendereya and First Samurai. There is also a graded stakes winner out of a mare by Giant’s Causeway’s brother, Freud.

There are also Speightstown line graded stakes winners out of mares by Tabasco Cat, Stormy Atlantic, After Market and Catienus, and stakes winners out of mares by Bedford Falls, Shackleford and Discreet Cat (all by Forestry, himself broodmare sire of a Speightstown line stakes winner), Bluegrass Cat, Sir Cat and Forest Wildcat (sire of Wildcat Heir and D’Wildcat) and other strains of Storm Cat that could be tried, including Tale of the Cat (sire of Lion Heart and Tale of Ekati; grandsire of Kantharos, Uncaptured and Girvin), Pure Prize, Storm Boot, Bernstein, Yankee Gentleman and With Distinction.

Shirl’s Speight is an example of the very successful cross of Speightstown and sons with Sadler’s Wells line mares, and crossing back over other branches of that line should work well. Particularly notable has been the cross of Speightstown and sons with mares from the El Prado branch through Medaglia d’Oro (sire of Violence, Warrior’s Reward and Bolt d’Oro), suggesting mares by other El Prado sons, Kitten’s Joy and Artie Schiller. There is also  winner out of a mare by another Sadler’s Wells son, Galileo (sire in the U.S. of Cape Blanco, Magician and Treasure Beach). 

The cross of Speightstown and sons with mares from the male line of Sadler’s Wells’ three-quarters brother, Nureyev, through Theatrical (sire of Shakespeare) has done very well, and Nureyev might be brought in through Unusual Heat and his son Acclamation, with other possibilities including Atticus, Fasliyev, Spinning World and Stravinsky.

There are more than 30 stakes winners on a cross with Speightstown and sons with A.P. Indy line mares. In addition to those out of A.P. Indy himself, which includes grade one winner Flagstaff, looking at the cross of Speightstown and sons with mares by A.P. Indy sons,  there graded stakes winners out of mares by A.P. Indy sons, Bernardini (sire of To Honour and Serve and Stay Thirsty, himself broodmare sire of a Speightstown line stakes winner) and stakes winners out of mares by Malibu Moon, Flatter and his brother Congrats, Majestic Warrior, Jump Start, Aptitude, Master Command, Dance With Ravens and Pulpit. There has also been great success over mares by Pulpit son, Tapit, with six stakes winners, including grade one winner Lexitonian, and Tapit is sire of Constitution, Frosted, Tonalist, Concord Point, Tapizar, Tapiture, Hansen and Trappe Shot. Pulpit is also sire of Sky Mesa, Stroll and Corinthian.

Speightstown and sons have done very well with Caro line mares. From the Cozzene branch there is grade one winner Kimari out of a mare by Cozzene himself, and stakes winners out of mares by Mizzen Mast and Alphabet Soup. From the Indian Charlie branch of Caro,  grade one winner Switzerland is out of a mare by Indian Charlie, and grade one winner Howard Wolowitz is out of a mare by Indian Charlie son Uncle Mo. Indian Charlie is by In Excess, also sire of Notional and Bring the Heat, and he himself is also sire of Adios Charlie, Bwana Charlie, Liaison and Cinco Charlie. Uncle Mo could be tried with Nyquist and Outwork.

There are five stakes winners on a Speightstown cross with mares by More Than Ready (sire of Ready’s Image, Verrazano and Daredevil). Speightstown has also enjoyed success with mares from the Relaunch line, including through Honour and Glory and his son, Put It Back and Tiznow and sons, Tizway and Colonel John, with Tiznow also sire of Tiz Wonderful and Gemologist. There are six stakes winners on a cross of Speightstown with mares by Holy Bull and his son, Macho Uno and Flashy Bull, and four out of mares by Maria’s Mon (sire of Super Saver).