Shisospicy retired: her owners' love proved stronger than millions

The champion sprinter of 2025 has ended her racing career following a season hampered by health issues. Morplay Racing decided to retain her after she failed to reach her reserve at Fasig-Tipton, and she will now be bred to Not This Time

LEXINGTON, Kentucky.— For Rich Mendez, principal of Morplay Racing, Shisospicy (Mitole) was never simply an investment. The mare that provided his first G1 victory, captured the 2025 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1), and earned an Eclipse Award as champion sprinter holds far too significant a place in his family's history. So when the time came to sell her, the figures on the board were not enough to persuade him.

The daughter of Mitole passed through the ring on Monday at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, but failed to find a new home after bidding halted at $2,400,000, falling short of her reserve. One day later, Morplay Racing officially announced her retirement from racing.

“I didn't want to sell her just to sell her. There’s economic value, but there’s also sentimental value, and I know that’s the worst thing that can happen to you in this business,” Mendez admitted.

“My grandkids grew up with her. They’re 4 and 6 years old, Shiso is 4, so it’s been a journey we all lived together,” he added.

The saga began in July 2023, when Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds acquired the filly for $200,000 at Fasig-Tipton.The following year, they attempted to offer her as a two-year-old in Ocala, but the $300,000 bid fell short of her reserve.

That failed transaction turned out to be a blessing in disguise: “When we couldn’t sell her and decided to keep her, we felt like it was meant to be,” Mendez recalled.

Under the care of Venezuelan trainer José D'Angelo, Shisospicy made her debut a winning one, romping by an astonishing 16 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park. Following a pair of stakes placings on the dirt, her conditioner opted to switch her to the turf—a move that fundamentally transformed her career.

Throughout 2025, she remained unbeaten on grass in the United States, collecting wins in the Limestone Stakes (L),the Mamzelle Stakes (G3), and the Music City Stakes (G2).

Her crowning moment came at Del Mar, where she became the first 3-year-old filly to win the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1). She scored by 2 1/2 lengths, stopping the clock in 55.24 seconds for five furlongs, just 49 hundredths off the track record.

That performance earned her the Eclipse Award as Champion Female Sprinter of 2025.

Qatar Racing had purchased an interest during that championship season, but Morplay bought out their partner for $5,200,000 at Fasig-Tipton to regain full ownership.

The picture shifted in 2026. A series of health setbacks disrupted her training schedule and limited her campaign to just two starts, both outside the purse money.

Ultimately, the decision was made to close the curtain on a stellar career featuring 6 wins, one second, and one third from 11 starts, with total earnings of $2,095,270.

Bred in Kentucky by Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Shisospicy is by Mitole out of Mischief Galore, by Into Mischief. Her immediate future lies at Taylor Made Farm, where she will be bred to Not This Time, one of the top sires in North America today. She is eventually expected to relocate to Always Dream Equine, the nursery Mendezrecently purchased near Ocala.

“We hope she produces beautiful foals and that she’s as extraordinary as a mother as she was on the racetrack,” her owner reflected.

The brilliant Shisospicy will not race again. But for the Mendez family, who found in her so much more than just a champion, her story is far from over.