Champion Shisospicy Retired From Racing

Champion female sprinter Shisospicy has been retired from racing and will begin her career as a broodmare. The official news was announced in a Nov. 3 Instagram post by owner Morplay Racing and confirmed with BloodHorse by Morplay's Rich Mendez. "She's meant the world to us," Mendez said. "She's everything to our brand, she has made long-lasting memories for us and our grandkids. She means the world." The daughter of Mitole was bred in Kentucky by Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt and is out of the winning Into Mischief mare Mischief Galore. She was purchased by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds on behalf of Morplay for $200,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton's The July Sale and was then pinhooked into the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training the following April where she was a $300,000 RNA. That ended up being a stroke of good luck for Morplay. "When we weren't able to sell her at the 2-year-old sale and got to keep her, it felt like it was meant to be," Mendez said. Trained by Jose D'Angelo, Shisospicy debuted a dominant 16 1/4-length winner on dirt for Morplay Racing at Gulfstream Park. She would go on to place in the Fern Creek Stakes at Churchill Downs and Mockingbird Stakes at Oaklawn Park in her next two starts. In February 2025, D'Angelo swapped the speedy filly to the grass and her career took off. She went undefeated over American grass at 3, winning the Limestone Stakes at Keeneland, Mamzelle Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs, and Music City Stakes (G2T) at Kentucky Downs in impressive fashion. With Qatar Racing partnered in ownership for the second half of 2025, Shisospicy capped her sophomore season making history as the first 3-year-old filly to win the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T). Her 2 1/2-length win in :55.24 was just 0.49 off Del Mar's 5-furlong course record. Her historic season earned honors as Eclipse champion female sprinter for 2025. Morplay Racing bought out Qatar Racing for $5.2 million at the 2025 Fasig-Tipton's The November Sale. Her 4-year-old season was derailed by several untimely illnesses, making just two starts and finishing off the board in both. She again entered the ring at Fasig-Tipton Nov. 2, but Mendez set a high reserve that was not met when she RNA'd for $2.4 million. The filly carries high emotional value as the first grade 1 winner for the successful music mogul, who began Morplay in 2023. "I didn't want to sell her for just any price," Mendez said. "There's a value, even an emotional value—and I know that's the worst thing in the game, right?—but for us with her, it was that special. My grandkids grew up with her. My grandkids are 4 and 6, 'Shiso' is 4, so it's been a ride for us with everybody." Mendez said Shisopsicy will spend the near future at Taylor Made Farm and be bred to Not This Time, the second-leading North American sire by 2026 progeny earnings through Nov. 3. Mendez recently acquired a farm near Ocala, Fla., named Always Dream Equine, but said it was not 100% decided if she would head there following her breeding with Not This Time or remain at Taylor Made. "We're hoping for her to have some beautiful babies and go out there and be as great of a mare as she was a racehorse," Mendez said. Shisospicy retires with a career record of 6-1-1 from 11 starts for earnings of $2,095,270.