Speightstown (USA)
February 1, 1998 – Living
Gone West (USA) x Silken Cat (CAN), by Storm Cat (USA)
Family 9-b
February 1, 1998 – Living
Gone West (USA) x Silken Cat (CAN), by Storm Cat (USA)
Family 9-b
Speightstown was quite a comeback story. After fracturing a shoulder—an injury that kept him away from the races for the second half of his 3-year-old season and all his 4-year-old season--the horse not only got back to the races but became better than he had ever been, earning honors as American champion sprinter in 2004. He got his stud career off to a much quicker start, getting five Grade or Group 1 winners in his first crop, and has since earned a consistent place among the leading sires in North America.
Race record
16 starts, 10 wins, 2 seconds, 2 thirds, US$1,258,256
2001:
2003:
2004:
Honors
Eclipse Award, American champion sprinter (2004)
Assessments
Rated at 122 pounds in the Sprint category on the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, 8 pounds below overall highweight Ghostzapper (the American Horse of the Year) and 1 pound below Pico Central, the highweighted horse in the Sprint category.
As an individual
A small, short-coupled, well-balanced chestnut horse standing 15.3 hands, Speightstown is muscular, correct and compact with a straight, strong hind leg. He was plagued by injuries over much of his racing career.
As a stallion
Speightstown has proven a versatile stallion, getting top winners on both dirt and turf and at distances ranging from sprints to 10 furlongs. Generally speaking, his foals have needed time to mature to show their best as runners.
Sire rankings
Per Arion Pedigrees (www.arion.co.nz):
Per The Blood-Horse:
Notable progeny
Charlatan (USA), Competitionofideas (USA), Dance to Bristol (USA), Echo Town (USA), Essence Hit Man (CAN), Farmah (USA), Flagstaff (USA), Force the Pass (USA), Golden Ticket (USA), Haynesfield (USA), Jersey Town (USA), Lady Speightspeare (USA), Lexitonian (USA), Lighthouse Bay (USA), Lord Shanakill (USA), Mona de Momma (USA), Olympiad (USA), Poseidon's Warrior (USA), Reynaldothewizard (USA), Rock Fall (USA), Seek Again (USA), She's Happy (ARG), Switzerland (USA), Tamarkuz (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Aloha West (USA), Just One Time (USA), Sos Genia (CHI), Una Chiquitita (CHI), Vekoma (USA)
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Speightstown was bred by Aaron and Marie Jones. He was owned by Eugene and Laura Melnyk, who purchased Speightstown for US$2 million at the 1999 Keeneland July yearling sale. Speightstown was trained by Todd Pletcher. He entered stud in 2005 in Kentucky at WinStar Farm, which together with Taylor Made Farm had purchased a 50 percent interest in the horse in September 2004.
Pedigree notes
Speightstown is inbred 3x4 to the great Secretariat, 4x5x4 to Secretariat's sire Bold Ruler and 5x5x5 to Bold Ruler's sire Nasrullah; he is also inbred 5x5 to Tom Fool. He is a half brother to 2017 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (USA-G2) winner Irap (by Tiznow). He is also a half brother to Amour d'Ete (by Tiznow), dam of 2022 Preakness Stakes (USA-G1) winner Early Voting (by Gun Runner).
Speightstown is out of Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Silken Cat, whose half sister Chief Appeal (by Valid Appeal) is the dam of listed stakes winner Turkappeal (by Turkoman) and second dam of 2008 Spinaway Stakes (USA-G1) winner Manu Bhavan, Grade 2 winner Hear the Ghost and Grade 3 winner Pink Champagne. Silken Cat is also a half sister to Meadow Silk (by Meadowlake), dam of 2006 Indiana Derby (USA-G2) winner Star Dabbler and stakes winner Run Production (both by Saint Ballado), and to Tropical Rain (by Danzig Connection), dam of multiple Puerto Rican stakes winner Tropical Way (by Way West).
Silken Doll (by Chieftain), the dam of Silken Cat, was a stakes winner in her own right and is a half sister to 1995 Turf Classic Invitational Stakes (USA-G1) winner Turk Passer (by Turkoman). She is also a half sister to Silken Light (by Majestic Light), dam of restricted stakes winner Incitatus (by Batonnier). The sisters' dam Insilca (by Buckpasser) never raced but is a half sister to multiple Grade 1-placed Copernica (by Nijinsky II), dam of 1987 Hopeful Stakes (USA-G1) winner Crusader Sword (by Damascus) and French stakes winner Copper Butterfly (by Blushing Groom). Another half sister to Insilca, Cherokee Phoenix (by Nijinsky II) is the dam of 1988 Flamingo Stakes (USA-G1) winner Cherokee Colony (by Pleasant Colony) and of Grade 3 winner Risen Colony (by Pleasant Colony).
Fun facts
Photo credit
Photo taken by Jessica Morgan in 2005 at WinStar Farm. Used by permission.
Last updated: January 7, 2023
Race record
16 starts, 10 wins, 2 seconds, 2 thirds, US$1,258,256
2001:
- 2nd Amsterdam Stakes (USA-G2, 6FD, Saratoga)
2003:
- 2nd Jaipur Handicap (USA-L, 7FD, Belmont)
2004:
- Won Breeders' Cup Sprint (USA-G1, 6FD, Lone Star)
- Won Churchill Downs Handicap (USA-G2, 7FD, Churchill Downs)
- Won True North Breeders' Cup Handicap (USA-G2, 6FD, Belmont)
- Won Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (USA-G2, 6FD, Saratoga; equaled track record 1:08.00)
- Won Artax Handicap (USA-L, 7FD, Gulfstream Park)
- 3rd Vosburgh Stakes (USA-G2, 6FD, Belmont)
Honors
Eclipse Award, American champion sprinter (2004)
Assessments
Rated at 122 pounds in the Sprint category on the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, 8 pounds below overall highweight Ghostzapper (the American Horse of the Year) and 1 pound below Pico Central, the highweighted horse in the Sprint category.
As an individual
A small, short-coupled, well-balanced chestnut horse standing 15.3 hands, Speightstown is muscular, correct and compact with a straight, strong hind leg. He was plagued by injuries over much of his racing career.
As a stallion
Speightstown has proven a versatile stallion, getting top winners on both dirt and turf and at distances ranging from sprints to 10 furlongs. Generally speaking, his foals have needed time to mature to show their best as runners.
Sire rankings
Per Arion Pedigrees (www.arion.co.nz):
- 2nd on the North American general sire list in 2012; 4th in 2013; 7th in 2011 and 2020; 8th in 2022.
- 9th on the North American broodmare sire list in 2021.
Per The Blood-Horse:
- 2nd on the US general sire list in 2013; 3rd in 2012; 5th in 2020 and 2021; 7th in 2011; 8th in 2015 and 2019; 9th in 2014 and 2022; 10th in 2010
Notable progeny
Charlatan (USA), Competitionofideas (USA), Dance to Bristol (USA), Echo Town (USA), Essence Hit Man (CAN), Farmah (USA), Flagstaff (USA), Force the Pass (USA), Golden Ticket (USA), Haynesfield (USA), Jersey Town (USA), Lady Speightspeare (USA), Lexitonian (USA), Lighthouse Bay (USA), Lord Shanakill (USA), Mona de Momma (USA), Olympiad (USA), Poseidon's Warrior (USA), Reynaldothewizard (USA), Rock Fall (USA), Seek Again (USA), She's Happy (ARG), Switzerland (USA), Tamarkuz (USA)
Notable progeny of daughters
Aloha West (USA), Just One Time (USA), Sos Genia (CHI), Una Chiquitita (CHI), Vekoma (USA)
Connections
Foaled in Kentucky, Speightstown was bred by Aaron and Marie Jones. He was owned by Eugene and Laura Melnyk, who purchased Speightstown for US$2 million at the 1999 Keeneland July yearling sale. Speightstown was trained by Todd Pletcher. He entered stud in 2005 in Kentucky at WinStar Farm, which together with Taylor Made Farm had purchased a 50 percent interest in the horse in September 2004.
Pedigree notes
Speightstown is inbred 3x4 to the great Secretariat, 4x5x4 to Secretariat's sire Bold Ruler and 5x5x5 to Bold Ruler's sire Nasrullah; he is also inbred 5x5 to Tom Fool. He is a half brother to 2017 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (USA-G2) winner Irap (by Tiznow). He is also a half brother to Amour d'Ete (by Tiznow), dam of 2022 Preakness Stakes (USA-G1) winner Early Voting (by Gun Runner).
Speightstown is out of Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Silken Cat, whose half sister Chief Appeal (by Valid Appeal) is the dam of listed stakes winner Turkappeal (by Turkoman) and second dam of 2008 Spinaway Stakes (USA-G1) winner Manu Bhavan, Grade 2 winner Hear the Ghost and Grade 3 winner Pink Champagne. Silken Cat is also a half sister to Meadow Silk (by Meadowlake), dam of 2006 Indiana Derby (USA-G2) winner Star Dabbler and stakes winner Run Production (both by Saint Ballado), and to Tropical Rain (by Danzig Connection), dam of multiple Puerto Rican stakes winner Tropical Way (by Way West).
Silken Doll (by Chieftain), the dam of Silken Cat, was a stakes winner in her own right and is a half sister to 1995 Turf Classic Invitational Stakes (USA-G1) winner Turk Passer (by Turkoman). She is also a half sister to Silken Light (by Majestic Light), dam of restricted stakes winner Incitatus (by Batonnier). The sisters' dam Insilca (by Buckpasser) never raced but is a half sister to multiple Grade 1-placed Copernica (by Nijinsky II), dam of 1987 Hopeful Stakes (USA-G1) winner Crusader Sword (by Damascus) and French stakes winner Copper Butterfly (by Blushing Groom). Another half sister to Insilca, Cherokee Phoenix (by Nijinsky II) is the dam of 1988 Flamingo Stakes (USA-G1) winner Cherokee Colony (by Pleasant Colony) and of Grade 3 winner Risen Colony (by Pleasant Colony).
Fun facts
- Speightstown is the second-largest city of the Caribbean island nation of Barbados. Named for William Speight, a member of Barbados' first Assembly, the city is known for its colonial-era architecture.
Photo credit
Photo taken by Jessica Morgan in 2005 at WinStar Farm. Used by permission.
Last updated: January 7, 2023