Shirl’s Speight returns in Grade 2 King Edward

Shirl’s Speight, freshened since a winter campaign consisting of starts in Japan and Dubai, returns to action at Woodbine in Saturday’s $200,000 King Edward Stakes (G2T).

A field of 11 will contest the King Edward, a one-mile turf race for 3-year-olds and upward, which is the major local stepping-stone to the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series “Win and You’re In” $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1T) on September 16.

“He’s doing great,” said Roger Attfield, who conditions Shirl’s Speight for owner and breeder Charles Fipke.

“He’s still carrying a bit more weight than I’d like him to, but I need to run him in this race to get to the [Woodbine] Mile, anyway,” said Attfield. “He’s working lights out, but he always does.”

Shirl’s Speight, a Kentucky-bred 6-year-old horse, became a Grade 1 winner in the Makers Mark Mile at Keeneland last April and concluded his campaign there with a strong second-place finish behind recently retired Modern Games in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1T).

Making the long trek to Tokyo for the February Stakes (G1), Shirl’s Speight finished a non-threatening ninth in a rare start on dirt but rebounded with a solid fourth in Meydan’s Dubai Turf (G1) at 1 1/8 miles.

“He handled the trip better than I’ve ever seen a horse do it,” said Attfield. “He never left an oat anywhere – on an airplane, a van, a stable. It’s amazing, how well he did.”