WinStar Farm’s Speightster sired his first winner when Queen Arella made her career debut a winning one, impressively capturing a five-furlong maiden special weight at Gulfstream Park on Friday.
With jockey Miguel Vazquez riding for trainer Roderick Rodriguez, Queen Arella, following a rough start, rallied strongly from the back of the pack with a bold move around the far turn. She collared the pacesetters in the lane and scampered clear late to win going away by a decisive four lengths.
Owned by J Stables LLC, Queen Arella was bred in New York by WinStar Farm. The bay filly is out of the winning Unbridled’s Song mare Unbridled Sonya and hails from the family of Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Volponi.
“Speightster is a horse we’ve always believed in,” said Elliott Walden, WinStar’s president, CEO, and racing manager. “We have waited four years to see his first babies run, and we are excited to see him carry the torch for Speightstown.”
A WinStar homebred by perennial leading sire Speightstown, Speightster captured the 2015 Dwyer S. (G3) at three, defeating Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Texas Red. Undefeated in his first three starts by a combined margin of 13 lengths at 6 ½, seven, and eight furlongs for trainer Bill Mott, Speightster was named a TDN Rising Star following a romping 7-length win in his career bow at Keeneland.
From a prolific female family, Speightster is produced from the Danzig mare Dance Swiftly, a full sister to champion Dance Smartly and half-sister to the late champion sire Smart Strike. Speightster stands for $10,000 S&N. For more information, contact Sean Tugel, Liam O’Rourke, or Chris Knehr at (859) 873-1717, or visit WinStarFarm.com.
