Mr Speaker proves best in Commonwealth Turf Cup

Mr Speaker, getting a perfect trip in the pocket under Jose Ortiz, ran down Legendary and won the Grade 2, $200,000 Commonwealth Turf Cup on Saturday at Laurel.

It was Mr Speaker’s second and most important win since he captured the Grade 1 Belmont Derby in July 2014, looking at the time like one of the leading turf horses of his generation. Mr Speaker won an allowance race earlier this year but otherwise was 0 for 5 since his major win more than 14 months ago.

But on Saturday, Mr Speaker looked like a winner the whole way. Legendary broke on top, but Cut to Order came through on the inside to set slow splits of 24.98 seconds, 49.58, and 1:13.03 over a firm turf course. Sheldon Russell, aboard the tracking Legendary, moved to the front past the three-furlong pole to get first run on the closers, but Mr Speaker was keeping up while not appearing to exert himself at all, Ortiz merely awaiting the right moment.

“We went to the first turn, and I was in a beautiful position,” Ortiz said. “By the three-eighths pole, I looked out, nobody was there, so I knew I had a way out. I was very confident.”

Legendary tried to answer, but Mr Speaker ($6.40) always was going the better of the pair, and he drew away to win by a couple of lengths, going his last furlong in a good 11.34 seconds while stopping the timer in 1:47.77 for nine furlongs.

Legendary comfortably held second over longshot El Jefe Grande, with luckless 9-5 favorite Up With the Birds fourth. Caught between horses on the first turn, Up With the Birds got bumped and steadied back to the rear of the field, then was caught wide on the second turn while trying to rally into a slow pace.

Mr Speaker, a 4-year-old son of Pulpit and the broodmare Salute, was bred and is owned by the Phipps Stable and is trained by Shug McGaughey. He won for the sixth time in 16 starts.