Shisospicy set the American turf ablaze during a 3-year-old campaign that concluded with a victory over older males in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) at Del Mar, and Morplay Racing plans to light that fire across the globe in 2026.
Announced first on FanDuel TV Jan. 8 by Rich Mendez of Morplay Racing and trainer Jose D'Angelo, the speedy daughter of Mitole will be scheduled to begin her 4-year-old campaign with up to two races in the Middle East before targeting a repeat triumph in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, which will be Oct. 31 at Keeneland.
"She's hit the track a few times already since the Breeders' Cup. She's looked great, she's continuing to mature as a horse," Morplay Racing's head of marketing Nick Payne told BloodHorse. "We're going to take it more international this year. There's not a lot of high-level turf sprints in the United States, at least compared to what there is internationally."
The first stop on Shisospicy's radar will be the $2 million 1351 Turf Sprint (G2T) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Saudi Cup (G1) night Feb. 14. Should she perform well and emerge from the 1,351-meter (just under 7-furlong) race in good order, she would remain on the Arabian peninsula and fly to Dubai to compete in the $1.5 million Al Quoz Sprint (G1T) at Meydan Racecourse on Dubai World Cup (G1) night March 28.
Through nine career starts, Shisospicy's lone off-the-board finish came in her first trip outside of the United States, finishing 15th in the Commonwealth Cup (G1) during the 2025 Royal Ascot meeting. Payne said the team has narrowed that down to two factors: the hills on Ascot's course and an extended journey that took the young filly from Kentucky to Indiana to France before arriving in Newmarket.
"The trip was just a lot for her, I think. It took a lot out of her," Payne said. "This trip, we're making sure it's straight shots. I think that was one of the bigger factors, just the trip and the stress that it put on her."
On this international journey, Shisospicy will depart Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Fla., Feb. 2 on a direct flight to Saudi Arabia. Should she continue on to Dubai, she'll take another direct flight there.
However, that only covers the first half of her season. After Dubai, Shisospicy will return home to the U.S. It has not officially been decided yet, but discussions have been had about her spending the summer at Saratoga Race Course.
More firm plans call for her to end the season in 2026 the same way she did in 2025. Prior to her title defense in the Breeders' Cup, she would return to Kentucky Downs where she won the Music City Stakes (G2T) in 2025. With that race restricted to 3-year-olds, her options this year would be in either the 6-furlong Kentucky Turf Sprint Stakes (G2T) against males 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 many times this year," Payne said of the overall planned campaign. "We want to put her in the right spots that will maximize her potential. We're super excited, especially for the international trips, to see what's out there besides the United States sprinters."
Success in some or all of these targets would help build upon an already impressive résumé 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's really a dream come true," Payne said of the Eclipse nominations. "She's such a special, special filly to be a turf sprinter nominated in some of these categories. Just to be nominated is a blessing, especially since we're a smaller outfit that's only been doing it for a handful of years. We're super blessed and super proud to have found her. She's a blessing to our stable. She's become a family member, more than a racehorse to us."
