Moon Spun Pulls Unbridled Sidney Upset, Shisospicy Last

In order to become a champion, you have to beat a champion. Town and Country Racing's Moon Spun is not at the champion level yet, but after scoring May 1 at Churchill Downs in the $474,000 Unbridled Sidney Stakes (G2T) over 2025 Eclipse champion female sprinter and Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) winner Shisospicy, trainer Brian Lynch has the green light to put her on that championship path. "You think the Breeders' Cup is right here at Keeneland, and they're the sort of fillies she's going to be running against," Lynch said. "Try to map out some sort of program to get her there if she can continue showing the form she's showing." The 5-year-old Hard Spun mare was left cold on the board by the bettors at 13-1 from a 4-1 morning line, then paying $29.18 to win. She exited an eighth-place finish on Gulfstream Park's Tapeta surface in the Captiva Island Stakes—which had been taken off the turf because of weather—March 14. Prior to that, she had rattled off four consecutive wins and earned two stakes victories. Returning to the turf was just what she needed, breaking swiftly from the gate and establishing herself on the lead. Despite quick fractions of :22.13 and :44.60, she was left relatively unchallenged. Shoot It True made a bid up the rail late while Moon Spun grew leg weary, but jockey Javier Castellano got Moon Spun to last for a three-quarter-length victory in 1:01.64 on firm turf. Creed's Gold was third. Following the Captiva Island on a surface Lynch felt she didn't care for, the trainer made the decision to let the mare regroup and skip racing at Keeneland. The move proved to be the correct choice. "Grass races at Gulfstream had been so honest, just skip Keeneland and set her for this one today," Lynch said of the plan. "I think giving her that little bit of a break, she put on some good weight and the coat and everything came around. The last work here (at Churchill Downs) on the dirt, I was super impressed with; so she'd given us a good feeling." Neither of the two favorites, 3-5 Shisospicy and 7-2 multiple graded stakes winner and defending Unbridled Sidney winner Queen Maxima, fired their best shot while finishing last and fourth, respectively, in the field of seven. But Lynch saw besting them on this stage was a positive sign for the future in the female turf sprint division. "I don't see any more out there that weren't here today, so if she keeps progressing and stays nice and healthy, we're definitely going to try and give (the road to the Breeders' Cup) a go," Lynch said. Bred in Kentucky by Jack Liebau Sr., Moon Spun is out of the Malibu Moon mare Moonlit Bay. An $80,000 purchase out of the Trackside Farm consignment at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearlings Sale, she has earned $656,560 with a record of 6-3-1 from 11 starts. She joins Bold Journey as the second graded winner of the year for Darley stallion Hard Spun, who stands for $20,000 in 2026. Shisospicy Gives Lackluster effort off Layoff The lackluster effort given by Shisospicy while returning for her first start since beating males in the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint came as a shock to trainer Jose D'Angelo. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. had his feet out of the irons in the post parade trying to keep the champion relaxed. Out of the gate, the typically speedy filly was flat footed and found herself fourth entering the far turn. In the clear turning for home, she never fired when Ortiz called upon her and faded to be beaten 11 lengths. "Honestly, it was not her day. That's not her," Ortiz said. "She made a little run and that was it. She was sharp before the race. I tried to relax her. It is what it is. She came back from a long layoff. Hopefully this race helps her for the next one." The Unbridled Sidney was a later start to the season than intended for Shisospicy. Originally targeting a start in Saudi Arabia on the Feb. 14 Saudi Cup (G1) day, the Morplay Racing-owned filly was sidelined with an infection that kept her off the work tab for nearly two months. She returned at Palm Meadows Training Center March 14 in Florida and had worked four times since. D'Angelo said coming into the race, he had her ready to fire, leaving the result even more puzzling. "I always say coming from a layoff the first time for our horses is the hardest test, but she was ready," D'Angelo said. "We have to see how she regroups and see where she's at. That's the main thing right now, but she looked before (the race) ready, and I know her very well. She was training the same way. We'll have to regroup and see her (back at the barn)."