Horse Racing

Shirl’s Speight Tries Dirt in G1 at Tokyo Racecourse


While Japanese dirt racing experts roam the world in search of riches and glory, a surprise North American runner takes on the locals in the Grand Prix. February (G1) bets on Tokyo Racecourse on February 19.

Shirl’s Spect a Charles Fipke dog, last seen finishing second, only 3/4 of the length Modern game in Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1T) on Keeneland pitch. Although he has competed on all-terrain and all-weather surfaces, much of his career and greatest achievements have come at about a mile on green courts.

A win in Tokyo will point in a completely different direction as the February Bet is “Win and you’re in” for Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).

Coach Roger Attfield said he was suspicious of the experiment, pointing to Fipke as the mastermind.

Attfield told a pre-race press conference: “Actually, the horse’s owner had the idea to do this. “He’s quite adamant that he wants to try him on dirt here. I’ve always been a bit apprehensive about that because he’s only run two dirt tracks and they’re not such a great race. .. I just have fingers interlaced.”

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For all that, Attfield reports that Shirl’s Speight is in good shape, saying he’s been eating well during the journey and has barely lost any weight.

Attfield said: “He’s a very versatile horse but watching the videos of him here and watching him this morning he seems to be controlling the track very well and if he can run to his full potential his ability, he will be very competitive.”

“But it’s not known to me.”

Adding to Attfield’s concern, Shirl’s Speight drew port number 2 in field 16.

“A wider draw would be better but we’ll have to deal with it,” he said. “The rider will.”

That driver is former Hong Kong champion Joao Moriera, who left Hong Kong in December after a protracted match due to injury. Moreira earlier in her career planned to regularly cycle in Japan but was unable to overcome the stringent licensing requirements including language proficiency.

Japan’s tilt isn’t Fipke’s only ongoing international test. He also has girl’s bee in training in Dubai with Doug Watson. That pony won the first start, then finished second later Tall Boy in the UAE Two Thousand Guineas (G3) and was a candidate for the UAE Derby (G2) on the night of the World Cup.

February bets are one of only two tier 1 events on the Japanese racing calendar and are often the key to winning year-end titles in that category. However, this time around, the two-time winner of the February Stakes Café pharoah was part of the Japanese squad to Saudi Arabia as a contender in the $20 million Saudi Arabia Cup (G1), leaving the field a bit narrower.

Probably the strongest local candidate is 7 years old red le zele , who finished fourth and sixth in the last two runs of February Bets—maybe a bit far from his best. The son of Lord Kanaloa runner-up at Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) in 2022 and coach Takayuki Yasuda said he is arranging potential international missions for the veteran.

“I thought of Saudi Arabia with him,” said Yasuda, “but then considered that it would be better to go to the February Stake and train him at Ritto (training center) to prepare for the job. This. If all goes well after this next race, we can make a decision whether to go to Dubai or not.”

lemon pop 5 year old son of Child releasing lemons won seven of 10 starts for Godolphin and came in February after winning the Negishi Stakes in January but will have to move up again to reach the 1st grade level.

Lemon Pop coach Hiroyasu Tanaka said: “He’s had 10 starts in his career, but he’s always excelled in his races, and so was the last one. “As a half-American, I feel that he still has a lot of work to do. He is very well proportioned and an easy horse to ride, which means we can coordinate him well between the races. race.”

dried stingray a 4 year old pony by sinister minister won the Zen Nippon Nisai Yushun, a stage of “Japan’s Road Race to Kentucky” in 2021 but has started only three times since, finishing second in the 1,400-meter dirt track at the Racecourse. Chukyo in January.

The February Stakes begin on the grass on the back track of Tokyo Racecourse before quickly merging onto the dirt track. It continues to be left-handed around a sweep and over the difficult ramp to the finish line.

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