WinStar sire Speightster has first winner

Grade 3 winner and freshman sire Speightster broke through with his first winner when Queen Arella won her debut last Friday at Gulfstream Park.

Queen Arella, who is out of the winning Unbridled’s Song mare Unbridled Sonya, was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, which stands her sire. She was purchased for just $1,000 out of last fall’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale by Eduardo Prado and races for J Stables and trainer Roderick Rodriguez, who also conditioned her dam. Queen Arella, who was the third starter for her sire, overcame a rough start to win by four lengths, finishing the five furlongs in 59.54 seconds.

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WinStar homebred Speightster, by champion sprinter Speightstown, won his first three starts by a combined 13 lengths at 3, highlighted by a victory in the Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes over Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red. He also won an allowance race over Joking, later a Grade 1 winner. Speightster was sidelined by an ankle chip and made one more start the following season, finishing eighth in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes before joining his sire at WinStar for the 2017 season.

Speightster covered 174 mares in his first book, the most for any first-season sire, according to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred. In his next two seasons, he covered respectable books of 151 mares and 124 mares. Speightster averaged $61,320 from 79 first-crop yearlings sold at public auction in 2019, more than six times his debut stud fee of $10,000.

Speightster is out of the unraced Danzig mare Dance Swiftly, a full sister to Canadian Triple Crown winner, champion, and blue hen Dance Smartly. Dance Swiftly is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner and leading sire Smart Strike. Speightster is a half-brother to stakes winner and producer Paiota Falls and to stakes winner West Coast Swing.