Newmarket: Inspiral Ready for Marquise Sun Chariot Showdown

Four-times group 1 winners who boast two editions of Deauville's G1 Prix Jacques le Marois are rare commodities, so Saturday's G1 Sun Chariot S. is all the richer for the presence of Cheveley Park Stud's Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) who could be Frankie's 500th Newmarket winner if all goes to plan. First, they will have to master one of those big improvers that Andre Fabre has aimed at his favourite track, and Baron Edouard De Rothschild's Mqse De Sevigne (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) showed distinct appetite for battle in both Deauville's race named in honour of the owner-breeder's family and the G1 Prix Jean Romanet.

Fortunately for Inspiral, the autumn damp has been delayed and the Gosdens' filly has ideal conditions as she returns to the course and distance of her Fillies' Mile success two years ago. “She's in good form and the ground will suit. Softer ground can dampen her finish, but I think the ground on Saturday will be perfect,” Cheveley Park's managing director Chris Richardson said. “I think the French filly is the one we've got to be worried about, but if you're not in you can't win, so let's hope Frankie can work some more magic.”

This is unlikely to be Inspiral's grand finale, however.

“She's obviously lightly-raced, so we can see after Saturday whether Mrs Thompson will consider the Breeders' Cup option as her swansong, or indeed whether she might stay in training next year, which hasn't been decided yet,” Richardson added.

Andre Fabre said of Mqse De Sevigne, “I don't think the ground is too much of a concern, maybe over this distance it might be a bit sharp for her but she has done well over this distance before. She will go for the Breeders' Cup [Filly And Mare Turf] after this.”

With two 16-1 winners in the last four years, this is never an open-and-shut case and St Albans Bloodstock's Heredia (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is exactly the kind of progressive type which this late-season race favours. Her wins in the Listed Dick Hern S. at Haydock in August and G3 Atalanta S. at Sandown last month saw her back to the form of her success in Royal Ascot's Sandringham H. last year and she showed she handled faster ground there.

“Richard Hannon has been really pleased with her since Sandown, she has bounced out of that race,” the owners's racing manager Richard Brown said. “We took our time and said we would only do it if you were completely happy and Richard says she has never been better, so we're happy to take a chance.”

Lupini Waits On Ground For Kitty Rose Staffordstown Bid…
One of Irish racing's big stories of 2023, the Natalia Lupini-trained unbeaten filly Kitty Rose (GB) (Invincible Army {Ire}) is one of the main attractions on Saturday's Curragh card. Impressive when stamping her class on an up-to-scratch renewal of Leopardstown's Listed Ingabelle S. last month, she will line up for the G3 Staffordstown Stud S. if the ground is suitable according to her handler.

“She has been in good form and she's ready to run, the only thing is we're monitoring the ground as we had a lot of rain yesterday and today,” Lupini said of the revelation, who is set to be re-opposed in the mile contest by the Ingabelle runner-up Content (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Newtown Anner Stud Farm's Cork maiden winner Unreasonable (Ire) (No Nay Never). “We'll just have to keep a close eye on the ground as she probably doesn't want it too soft, so we're not going to run her on very soft ground. She seems to have stepped up a gear in her work since Leopardstown and everything looks good apart from the weather, unfortunately! The current owners are thinking this will be her last run of the year. She's a big filly and she will definitely benefit from a winter break.”

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The Curragh: O’Brien Prepares Beresford Assault

It is the time of year when ideas begin to form about the following season's Classics and with Derbys in mind, Saturday's G2 Alan Smurfit Memorial Beresford S. at The Curragh offers food for thought. Aidan O'Brien's record in this mile staging post is plain remarkable, even by his standards, with a tally of 21 winners including St Nicholas Abbey (Ire), Saxon Warrior (Jpn), Japan (GB) and Luxembourg (Ire) and the fact that he has a trio engaged in the race he missed out in 12 months ago for the first time since 2010 suggests he is looking to resume normal procedure.

With Ryan Moore in Australia, Frankie Dettori flies in to partner Navy Seal (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), a son of Athena (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and full-brother to Never Ending Story (Ire) who put a debut fifth at Killarney behind him when scoring over an extended mile on heavy ground at the Galway festival in August. Colin Keane rides Grosvenor Square (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a half-brother to Santiago (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) who also won over that same course and distance this month, while the mile Leopardstown maiden winner Chief Little Rock (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is the mount of Gavin Ryan.

“Chief Little Rock came forward nicely to win at Leopardstown but he only just won, we thought he'd win easier than he did,” O'Brien said. “He's in good form and we think he's a horse who is going to progress more. He's got a stout pedigree and will be staying well next year. Grosvenor Square won nicely at Galway, that was only 11 days ago. He's a lovely, big horse but he was babyish and green there, so we think the experience will do him well. He's another with plenty of stamina in his pedigree. Frankie is riding Navy Seal for us. He won nicely at Galway the last day, but he was a little but green. He ended up winning nicely at the end and we think he's ready to go again. The first day we were a bit disappointed, we expected him to run better but he was very green. He was still green the last day, so we're just hoping that he keeps coming forward.”

Joseph O'Brien attempts to stem the tide of Ballydoyle winners in this with Teme Valley Racing's Stromberg (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), who steps up from seven furlongs for the first time having a Galway maiden and Roscommon conditions race by a total of 17 lengths, while Vimal Khosla's Deepone (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}) brings the form of the Leopardstown's G2 Champions Juvenile S. into focus having been four-lengths fourth behind Diego Velazquez (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

Mister Sketch In Mill Reef Test…

Newbury's G2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef S. is the other juvenile feature on Saturday, with speed as the contrast for the six-furlong feature of the card. Wathnan Racing's acquisition Mister Sketch (GB) (Territories {Ire}) won by 9 1/2 lengths over this trip at Salisbury last month and trainer Eve Johnson Houghton is hoping he can cope with this easy ground. “It's not ideal ground for him, but it's the same for everyone and I think he'll run a big race,” she said. “He's a lovely, strong horse, so I hope he'll be able to handle the ground.”

This renewal is dominated by those who have danced a few dances already and with conditions demanding toughness, that could play into the hands of the G3 Sirenia S. second and third Seven Questions (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and Array (Ire) (No Nay Never). The latter is a relative of Frankel (GB), so this is a big opportunity for the Juddmonte homebred. “I think the ground won't be an issue for him, Andrew [Balding] always felt he'd go with a bit of ease in the ground and obviously he ran well at Goodwood on desperate ground,” Barry Mahon said. “He's a nice horse who probably hasn't been the luckiest, but he looked good winning his maiden and he's shown a good level of form to partake in such a race.”

Sense Of Duty Returns…

In the five-furlong G3 Dubai International Airport World Trophy at Newbury, St Albans Bloodstock's exciting filly Sense Of Duty (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) is back in action having been absent since her impressive 4 1/2-length success in Newcastle's G3 Chipchase S. last June. This looks an ideal starting point for the William Haggas-trained 4-year-old, who has a class edge over her four rivals if retaining her ability.

“She's never run over five furlongs, but she has to run somewhere with as big a gap as possible between Champions Day,” Haggas said. “She will need the run, but she's pretty useful. She was very good the day she won the Chipchase at Newcastle. I think she'll enjoy the ground.”

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Sun Chariot Supplementation Likely For Heredia

Progressive filly Heredia (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is a likely supplement for the G1 Virgin Bet Sun Chariot S. at Newmarket's Rowley Mile on Oct. 7, according to Richard Brown, who is the racing manager for owners St Albans Bloodstock.

The Richard Hannon-trained 4-year-old won her first stakes, the Listed Dick Hern S., at Haydock in August. Favoured in the G3 Atalanta S. at Sandown, she ran to her odds and delivered a three-quarter length victory earlier this month. If entered, she would face Group/Grade 1 winners Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Msqe De Sevigne (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) among others in that one-mile contest.

“We've all had a chat and we we're absolutely delighted with Sandown,” said Brown. “She is a filly on a sharp upwards curve and when fillies do that you don't know how far they can go, so we'll most likely supplement her for the Sun Chariot.”

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Dark Angel’s Heredia On Top In The Atalanta

St Albans Bloodstock's 4-year-old homebred filly Heredia (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}–Nakuti {Ire}, by Mastercraftsman {Ire}) took seven attempts to make a stakes breakthrough, doing so in last month's Listed Dick Hern Fillies' S. at Haydock, and continued her belated rise up the ladder with a career high in Saturday's G3 Virgin Bet Atalanta S. at Sandown.

The Richard Hannon trainee settled into a smooth rhythm after breaking from the outside stall and raced in rear for most of this one-mile test. Making eyecatching headway out wide once into the straight, the 5-2 favourite quickened stylishly to challenge passing the furlong pole and was ridden out up the hill to prevail by 3/4-of-a-length from Queen For You (Ire) (Kingman {GB}). Potapova (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) just got he better of Novus (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) by a pixel in a ding-dong tussle in behind and finished 1 1/4 lengths adrift in third.

“She was drawn 10 of 10, which makes things a lot more difficult, but they didn't go overly quick and Sean [Levey] had to come a bit wide,” said Hannon. “After her last run I thought she would run very well and she is clearly in the form of her life. We were talking about some of the big races in America and she has justified going for one or two of those opportunities after this. I thought we would be lucky to win a Listed race earlier in the year, but she has thrived throughout the year. For St Albans Bloodstock, who bred her, they admitted she gave them one of them one of the best days of their lives when she won at Royal Ascot [in last year's Sandringham]. She won a Listed race last time and no one was there, but they were here today and it is a great day for them. She looks great, but she is carrying a bit of weight as she is getting older. She was a very fast 2-year-old and she won first time. She won't be going Stateside until she is a squeezed lemon [here], but it is up to them and I think they have got to try a big one in my name before one of those big trainers in America gets her.”

 

Pedigree Notes
Heredia, the 57th pattern-race scorer for her sire, mirrored the feat of Nakuti (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) in winning this test, her dam being a half-sister to GII Belmont Gold Cup Invitational Amade (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}). Heredia is full to a weanling colt and a half to the hitherto unraced 2-year-old colt Arch Legend (GB) (Camelot {GB}) and a yearling filly by Night Of Thunder (Ire). Her third dam Sheba's Step (Alysheba) produced multiple stakes-winning G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris second Arch Rebel (Arch) and the stakes-winning On My Dime (Mizzen Mast). Sheba's Step, herself a daughter of GI Hollywood Oaks heroine Pattern Step (Nureyev), is also the second dam of GIII Robert J. Frankel S. victrix Customer Base (Lemon Drop Kid). Descendants of Pattern Step include GI Canadian International victor Bullards Alley (Flower Alley), GI Arkansas Derby-winning sire Archarcharch (Arch) and last term's G2 German 2000 Guineas victor and G1 St James's Palace S. fourth Maljoom (Ire) (Caravaggio).

Saturday, Sandown, Britain
VIRGIN BET ATALANTA S.-G3, £80,000, Sandown, 9-2, 3yo/up, f/m, 8fT, 1:44.38, gd.
1–HEREDIA (GB), 132, f, 4, by Dark Angel (Ire)
1st Dam: Nakuti (Ire) (GSW-Eng & GSP-Can, $184,647), by Mastercraftsman (Ire)
2nd Dam: Sheba Five, by Five Star Day
3rd Dam: Sheba's Step, by Alysheba
1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-St Albans Bloodstock LLP (GB); T-Richard Hannon; J-Sean Levey. £45,368. Lifetime Record: 12-6-2-1, $233,691. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Queen For You (Ire), 127, f, 3, Kingman (GB)–Fallen For You (GB), by Dansili (GB). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Normandie Stud Ltd (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden. £17,200.
3–Potapova (GB), 132, m, 5, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Safina (GB), by Pivotal (GB). O/B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd (GB); T-Sir Michael Stoute. £8,608.
Margins: 3/4, 1 1/4, NO. Odds: 2.50, 6.00, 6.50.
Also Ran: Novus (Ire), Roman Mist (Ire), Purplepay (Fr), Mysterious Love (Ire), Nibras Angel (GB), Coppice (GB), Midnight Mile (Ire).

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