Lady Speightspeare shows her class in hard-fought Seaway victory

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Favored Lady Speightspeare got the job done in a gritty performance in Saturday’s Grade 3 Seaway Stakes at Woodbine, thereby giving her a realistic chance at bagging three Sovereign Awards this year.

Longshots Emmeline and Hai Bobbi dueled up front in the seven-furlong Tapeta sprint, while Lady Speightspeare bided her time on the outside in a stalking position under Emma-Jayne Wilson.

Lady Speightspeare made a three-wide bid to hit the front at the quarter pole, before a four-wide Hazelbrook joined her on the lead entering the stretch. Second choice Souper Sensational mounted a wide rally in the lane, but Lady Speightspeare turned back both of those accomplished rivals to prevail by three-quarters of a length, in a time of 1:21.79, and getting a Beyer Speed Figure of 90.

Hazelbrook outran Souper Sensational for second. Dreaming of Drew, Golden Vision, Beyond Mybudget, Emmeline, Hai Bobbi, and Nazuna completed the order of finish.

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“This filly is just stellar, she just steps up every single time,” Wilson said. “She knows what the game is all about. I’m just proud to be her partner. I know her like the back of my hand. She gives it everything she can, every single time.”

Lady Speightspeare, trained by Roger Attfield, returned $4.90 and earned $90,000 of the $154,600 purse for owner-breeder Charles Fipke. The daughter of Speightstown, who was Canada’s champion 2-year-old filly in 2020, has a foothold on three Sovereigns this year - champion older female on the main track, champion female turf runner, and champion female sprinter.