Speaker's Corner gets his Grade 1 with impressive score in Carter Handicap

Speaker’s Corner became a Grade 1 winner for the first time - although judging from his performance likely not the last - drawing off to a dominant 4 ½-length victory over Reinvestment Risk and five others in Saturday’s $300,000 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct.

Speaker’s Corner carried high weight of 124 pounds entering the seven-furlong Carter off victories in the Grade 3 Fred Hooper and Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile earlier this winter at Gulfstream Park. The Carter marked just his second start at the Grade 1 level. The first ended in his only real poor effort in eight lifetime starts, a distant sixth-place finish in the Pennsylvania Derby at Parx during the fall of 2021.

:: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures

With regular rider Junior Alvarado aboard in the Carter, Speaker’s Corner prompted the pace from the outset while outside horses in the run down the backstretch, readily shook free when roused into the stretch, and was eased up in the closing strides.

Reinvestment Risk, who became Grade 1 placed for the third time in just seven career starts, was first to show in front, continued on gamely after being displaced on the lead by the winner, and finished 2 1/2 lengths in front of Mind Control, who was third.

Mind Control took up briefly behind the winner near the half-mile pole, raced between horses, and finished evenly.

Green Light Go, Drafted, Bank On Shea and First Captain rounded out the order of finish.

Speaker’s Corner, a 4-year-old Godolphin homebred by Street Sense, ran the distance over a fast track in 1:21.34 and paid $3.50. Speaker's Corner was given a 114 Beyer Speed Figure.

Trainer Bill Mott said winning a Grade 1 stakes had been the goal with Speaker’s Corner.

“We thought he was talented as a 2-year-old,” Mott said. “He had some little issues that we had to give him time for, and then we had to give him more time than we wanted to, but right now it looks like it’s turned out well.”

As for bringing Speaker’s Corner back in the $1 million Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont on June 11, Mott said: “We’ve got to put that on a list of things. That would be a prime target. We’ve squeezed him pretty good the way it is. We’ve come back five weeks, four weeks, so he’s had his races fairly close together already.”