With three winners from only seven starters, Shakespeare ranks third among Florida first-crop stallions. 
The three winners represent 43 percent winners from starters for the son of Theatrical. All three won maiden special weight races, two of them won their first start. Laertes, a two-year-old son, won his debut in visually impressive style at Woodbine near Toronto. Mired in traffic early, Laertes escaped and accelerated beautifully through the stretch to win by three-and-a-half lengths in 1:24 for the seven-furlong turf event.

In addition to his impressive win, Laertes also demonstrated Shakespeare’s market value. He went through two sales, bringing $55,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July yearling sale. Laertes followed that at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale of two-year-olds with a $140,000 bid from Peachtree Stable’s John Fort. Overall, Shakespeare has had a strong presence in the market place with his yearlings averaging $37,000 this year and his two-year-olds averaging $78,667.

Shakespeare’s Brew, another colt also won his first start, taking a six-furlong, maiden special weight turf race at Woodbine in 1:10 2/5. Like Laertes, Shakespeare’s Brew closed from the back of the back four and five wide into the stretch, winning off impressively by three open lengths.

Shakespeare’s first winner was his first international winner. A filly, Quantum of Solange, won by two lengths in the about seven-furlong maiden race at Naples in Italy. Three winners, three daylight wins.