Speech breaks through with three-length victory in Ashland

Before Speech shipped across the country from her California base to Keeneland for yet another tangle with some of the 3-year-old filly division’s standouts, trainer Mike McCarthy still felt confident that one day, his filly would make a statement.

"My filly just shows up and runs hard every time," McCarthy said at that time. "There's a graded race out there, or a couple graded races out there, with her name on them."

Which graded race was up for debate this week, as Speech was cross-entered in Friday's Grade 3, $100,000 Beaumont Stakes going seven furlongs, as well as Saturday's Grade 1, $400,000 Ashland Stakes at 1 1/16 miles. But when Swiss Skydiver, far and away the points leader toward the Kentucky Oaks, opted instead to take on males in the Blue Grass Stakes, Speech opted for the Ashland - and made her first stakes victory a top-level score.

Speech won the Ashland by three lengths in a sparkling 1:41.26, breaking the track and stakes record. The Ashland record had been established by Hall of Famer Silverbulletday in the 1999 edition with a time of 1:41 3/5. The track mark on the current dirt surface, which was installed before the fall 2014 meet, was 1:41.36, set in an October 2017 allowance by Seeking the Soul, a subsequent Grade 1 winner.

"We had our mind set on running in the Beaumont Stakes for the last five weeks or so, and the last minute, we kind of called an audible and sometimes these things work out," McCarthy said. "To come back today and think we would set a track record in a race we weren’t especially pointing to says something about Speech. She trained well, she shows up everytime. I call her the ultimate overachiever."

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Speech, who is from the first crop of Grade 1 winner Mr Speaker, owned just a maiden win in six career starts before the Ashland, but not for lack of effort. The hard-trying filly was second to Donna Veloce in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel; second by a neck to subsequent Grade 1 winner Gamine in an Oaklawn allowance; and finally, second to Swiss Skydiver in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks. All three of those races were at 1 1/16 miles.

"I think she answered all questions that she gets two turns," said Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, which co-owns Florida-bred Speech with Madaket Stables.

Speech has now earned 160 points toward the Sept. 4 Kentucky Oaks, moving into second on the leaderboard. Wellman said that a final prep for the filly, if any, will be left up to McCarthy.

"We've got seven, eight weeks to the Kentucky Oaks," Wellman said. At the end of the day, trust goes into Michael McCarthy. I think he's stamped himself, not as a star on the rise, but a star who's arrived. It'll hinge on how Michael thinks she's doing. He's done an impeccable job developing her."

Venetian Harbor, also shipping in from California for Richard Baltas, was sent away favored in the Ashland, by virtue of her 9 1/4-length victory in the Grade 2 Las Virgenes, followed by a runner-up effort to Swiss Skydiver in the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn. The filly was ideally drawn to use her speed from post 2 under Joel Rosario, and indeed broke well to swiftly establish command, leading by two lengths through a moderate opening quarter of 24.04 seconds on a track that has been fast this week.

Speech was unhurried early by Javier Castellano while establishing herself a clear second, and had moved within a length of the leader as the tempo quickened through a half in 47.14 and six furlongs in 1:10.44.

Castellano gave Speech her cue in upper stretch and she came to Venetian Harbor with authority. The leader gamely dug in, but Speech found her measure and drew clear in the final furlong under a steady drive.

After Venetian Harbor in second, it was another 3 3/4 lengths back to Envoutante in third. Another two lengths back was Bonny South, who never seriously threatened while making her first start since winning the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks in late March. Alta's Award trailed throughout.