Eleven days following her unplaced finish in the Sussex (G1) at Goodwood, Inspiral made the quick turnaround Sunday to score a repeat victory in the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois (G1), an inter-generational championship going one mile at Deauville Racecourse in France.
With the victory, Inspiral earned an automatic starting position into the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1), to be run in November at Santa Anita, through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In.
A Cheveley Park Stud homebred, the 4-year-old Frankel filly is trained in Newmarket by John and Thady Gosden and was ridden by Frankie Dettori. Sunday's win marks Dettori's eighth win in this prestigious race, and this summer will be his final appearance on the Deauville racecourse. He claimed his first Jacques Le Marois in 1999 with the exceptional Dubai Millennium.
Inspiral, on her part, was coming back after facing defeat twice, on the soft ground June 20 at Royal Ascot in the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) and then when fifth and last in the Sussex on Aug. 1. Positioned further back in the Jacques Le Marois, she made her move a quarter mile out to the center of the course and successfully overcame the race leader and favorite Big Rock. He was eventually bested by a solid length, with third place going to Light Infantry and fourth to Onesto.
Time was 1:36.62 on turf rated as good to soft.
Cheveley Park Director Richard Thompson said: “It was a brave, brave call. She ran in the [Qatar] Sussex [Stakes] 11 days ago and, although she didn't have much of a race, to come back and win this again is absolutely fantastic. What a day.
“She's a proper individual and she's had some difficult days on the racecourse but she's had great ones too. She's so talented and when it goes for her, as it did here, she's just in a different league.”
Inspiral is out of Starscope (by Selkirk), runner-up in the 1000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes. A winner of both those races last year, Inspiral has emulated her dam's performance, being her fourth victorious offspring in as many sent to training. The second dam is a sister to the exceptional stallion and champion miler Medicean.
Inspiral is the first fiily to win the race twice since Miesque (1987 and 1988). John Gosden has claimed victory in the last four editions of the race with Palace Pier, who also secured a double, and this filly, bringing his tally to five, including the stellar stallion Kingman's triumph in 2014.
Gosden won the 1984 Breeders' Cup Mile with Royal Heroine.
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