First announced on FanDuel TV on January 8 by Rich Mendez of Morplay Racing and trainer Jose D’Angelo, the fast daughter of Clothes will begin her 4-year-old campaign with up to two races in the Middle East before targeting a repeat victory in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, to be held on Keeneland October 31.
“She has been to the track a few times since the Breeders’ Cup. She has looked great and she continues to mature as a horse,” Nick Payne, Morplay Racing’s head of marketing, told BloodHorse. “We’re going to take a more international approach this year. There aren’t many high-level turf sprints in the United States, at least compared to what there is internationally.”
The first stop on Shisospicy’s radar is the $2 million 1351 Turf Sprint (G2T) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Saudi Cup (G1) night on February 14. Should she perform well and emerge from the 1,351 meter (just under 7 furlong) race in good condition, she would remain in the Arabian Peninsula and fly to Dubai to compete in the $1.5 million Al Quoz Sprint (G1T) at Meydan Racecourse at Dubai World Cup (G1) on March 28.
After nine career starts, Shisospicy’s only off-the-board finish came on her first trip outside the United States, where she finished 15th in the Commonwealth Cup (G1) at the 2025 Royal Ascot meeting. Payne said the team has narrowed that down to two factors: the hills on the Ascot course and a long journey that took the young filly from Kentucky to Indiana and France before arriving in Newmarket.
“The trip meant a lot to her, I think. It took a lot out of her,” Payne said. “This trip, we’re making sure it’s a straight shot. I think that was one of the bigger factors, just the trip and the stress it put on her.”
During this international trip, Shisospicy will depart the Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Florida, on February 2 on a direct flight to Saudi Arabia. If she travels to Dubai, she will take a direct flight there.
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. celebrates Shisospicy’s victory in the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint
However, that only covers the first half of her season. After Dubai, Shisospicy returns to the US. No official decision has been made yet, but discussions have been held about her stay in the summer Saratoga Race Course.
The plan is for her to finish the 2026 season the same way she did in 2025. Prior to her Breeders’ Cup title defense, she would return to Kentucky downs where she won the 2025 Music City Stakes (G2T). Because that race was limited to 3-year-olds, her options this year would be in the 6-furlong Kentucky Turf Sprint Sprint Stakes (G2T) against men or the 6 1/2-furlong Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes (G1T), which was elevated to Grade 1 status for 2026.
“We don’t want to race her too much this year,” Payne said of the overall planned campaign. “We want to put her in the right place so that her potential is maximized. We are super excited, especially for the international trips, to see what else there is to do besides the sprinters from the United States.”
Success in some or all of these goals would help build on an already impressive resume that led to Shisospicy being named a finalist for three Eclipse Awards in 2025: Champion 3-Year-Old Filly, Female Sprinter and Female Turf Horse. In 2025 she campaigned for both Morplay Racing and Qatar Racing, the latter being bought out by Morplay for $5.2 million at Fasig-Tipton’s The November Sale.
“It really is a dream come true,” Payne said of the Eclipse nominations. “She is such a special, special filly to be a turf sprinter who has been nominated in some of these categories. Just to be nominated is a blessing, especially since we are a smaller outfit that has only been doing it for a handful of years. We are super blessed and super proud to have found her. She is a blessing to our stable. She has become a family member, more than a racehorse to us.”
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