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We've written a lot abut this year's group of second-season stallions and one of that group -- Speightstown (TrueNicks,SRO) -- enjoyed a truly exceptional weekend. It started quietly enough Friday, with Fufty Too (A), taking the Dean Kutz Stakes at Canterbury Park. The primary importance of that victory was that it took Speightstown's total of first-crop stakes winners to eight, making him leader of the group by number of stakes winners, and he's also leading second-crop sire of 2009 by stakes winners, with eight this year.

Moving on to Sunday, and in France, Speightstown's son Lord Shanakill -- a group winner and group I-placed in England and France last year -- became his sire's first group I winner by taking the Etihad Airways Prix Jean Prat (Fr-I). This means that Speightstown joins Medaglia d'Oro (TrueNicks,SRO), Candy Ride (ARG) (TrueNicks,SRO) , Birdstone (TrueNicks,SRO), and Tapit (TrueNicks,SRO) as the fifth member of this group to sire a grade or group I winner. Lord Shanakill is out of the Theatrical (IRE) mare Green Room, and from the same family as Heatseeker (IRE) (TrueNicks,SRO) , Al Bahathri, Spanish Fern, and Haafhd (GB)

Only a few hours after Lord Shanakill's triumph, Speightstown's daughter Mullins Beach ran out an impressive winner of the Ontario Damsel Stakes at Woodbine. Out of the Silver Deputy mare Treasure Beach, and TrueNicks rated A+, Mullins Beach won by three lengths in a time just a second outside the 6 1/2-furlong course record.

Finally, Munnings stepped up against older horses in the Tom Fool Handicap (gr. II) and scorched home 2 1/4 lengths clear while covering seven furlongs in 1:21.0. Rated B, Munnings is out of the Holy Bull (TrueNicks,SRO) mare La Comete. She is half-sister to Oak Tree Derby (gr. IIT) victor Lasting Approval, and also to Icon Project, an Empire Maker filly who took the recent New York Stakes (gr. III).

Filed under: Recent Winners, Sires