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Frankel’s Inspiral Dominates Sandown Feature

Cheveley Park Stud's homebred 2-year-old filly Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), a daughter of G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Coronation S. runner-up Starscope (GB) (Selkirk), overcame a slow start to prevail in a June 26 maiden going seven furlongs at Newmarket on debut last time and laid down a marker with an impressive 3 1/2-length win in Thursday's Listed British Stallion Studs EBF Star S. over the same trip at Sandown. Anchored at the tail of the field after a deliberate break, the even-money favourite made rapid headway on the bridle in the straight and powered clear once gaining the upper hand approaching the final furlong to outclass her eight rivals in taking fashion. At the line, she was clear of Godolphin's dual winner Wild Beauty (GB) (Frankel {GB}) with a neck back to her stablemate Sunstrike (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in third.

“She's always been a classy filly and has just done normal work on the bridle at home,” explained winning trainer John Gosden after claiming a first win in the contest. “Her mother was with us, and she had a lot of ability, and we know all about the father. We thought this was the race to come for, they went pretty strong up front and she won very nicely. Frankie [Dettori] was out the back before coming around them and said he hit the front far too soon. I think it was a pretty hot event and she's not been in front like that before so she did well. She'll have no problem getting a mile and we'll go one step at a time. The [G2] May Hill S. at Doncaster would be an obvious place to go and gives her five or six weeks between races.”

Inspiral is one of four winners from as many runners produced by G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Coronation S. runner-up Starscope (GB) (Selkirk), herself a half-sister to Listed Rosemary S. victrix Solar Magic (GB) (Pivotal {GB}). Starscope, who is out of a half-sister to MG1SW sire Medicean (GB) (Machiavellian), has also produced last term's Listed Cocked Hat S. third Celestran (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and a weanling colt by Siyouni (Fr). Inspiral's MGSP third dam Mystic Goddess (Storm Bird), who annexed the Listed Sweet Solera S., is a half-sister to G1 Gran Criterium-winning sire Sanam (Golden Act) and MG1SP dual Group 2 winner Shaybani (Al Nasr {Fr}).

Thursday, Sandown, Britain
BRITISH STALLION STUDS EBF STAR S.-Listed, £43,000, Sandown, 7-22, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:28.17, g/f.
1–INSPIRAL (GB), 126, f, 2, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Starscope (GB) (MG1SP-Eng, $251,626), by Selkirk
2nd Dam: Moon Goddess (GB), by Rainbow Quest
3rd Dam: Mystic Goddess, by Storm Bird
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O/B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd (GB); T-John & Thady Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £24,385. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $38,687. *1/2 to Celestran (GB) (Dansili {GB}), SP-Eng.
2–Wild Beauty (GB), 126, f, 2, Frankel (GB)–Tulips (Ire), by Pivotal (GB). O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charlie Appleby. £9,245.
3–Sunstrike (Ire), 126, f, 2, Dark Angel (Ire)–Extricate (Ire), by Exceed and Excel (Aus). (390,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Qatar Racing Ltd; B-Yeomanstown Stud (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden. £4,627.
Margins: 3HF, NK, 3 3/4. Odds: 1.00, 2.75, 14.00.
Also Ran: Qipao (GB), Almohandesah (GB), Profound Alexander (Ire), Fabiosa (GB), Allayaali (Ire), Safra. Click for the Racing Post result.

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Van Gogh Retired, Sold To Japan

Van Gogh (American Pharoah-Imagine {Ire}, by Sadler's Wells), last year's Cartier champion 2-year-old in the aftermath of victory in the G1 Criterium International, has been retired from racing and sold to stand at East Stud on the island of Hokkaido, Japan in 2022.

During a busy seven-race juvenile campaign last year for the Coolmore partners and breeder Diane Nagle of Barronstown Stud, Van Gogh placed in the G3 Tyros S. and G2 KPMG Champions Juvenile S. before breaking his maiden at The Curragh. He finished second in the G3 Autumn S. before winning the Criterium International over the heavy ground at Saint-Cloud by four lengths. From four starts–all in Classics–this season, Van Gogh's best performance has been a third in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas.

Bred by David and Diane Nagle's Barrsontown Stud, Van Gogh is the 12th foal out of the G1 Oaks and G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Imagine, who has produced five stakes winners. Van Gogh is the highest achieving among those, which also include G2 Al Fahidi Fort winner Viscount Nelson (Giant's Causeway), track record-setting miler Point Piper (Giant's Causeway) and G2 Rockfel S. victress Kitty Matcham (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}). Imagine is a half-sister to dual Derby and four-time Group 1 winner Generous (Ire) (Caerleon), while the page also includes the excellent sprinter Moonlight Cloud (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).

Van Gogh is one of 19 worldwide stakes winners for American Pharoah, and that haul also includes a pair of black-type winners in Japan: G1 February S. scorer Cafe Pharoah (Jpn) and Listed Japan Dirt Derby winner Danon Pharaoh (Jpn). American Pharoah has 14 winners from 18 runners in Japan.

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Goodwood Target Undecided For Lady Bowthorpe

William Jarvis is to decide between Group 1 targets for stable star Lady Bowthorpe (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) at Goodwood next week with the Qatar Nassau S. and Qatar Sussex S. both under consideration.

The 5-year-old mare, owned by Emma Banks, started her season with victory in the G2 Dahlia S. at Newmarket and was then runner-up to Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the G1 Lockinge S. A poor blood test has ruled Palace Pier out of the Sussex S., bringing the mile contest and a clash with top 3-year-old colt Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) into contention.

Issuing an update on Lady Bowthorpe following her close-up fourth in the G1 Falmouth S. after meeting some trouble in running, Jarvis said, “Our initial thoughts after the Falmouth were to head to the Qatar Nassau Stakes, to keep her against her own sex and step her up to 10 furlongs. I'm very confident that she'll stay the extra two furlongs. With Palace Pier ruled out, we'll certainly have a look at the opposition in the Qatar Sussex Stakes but I'm certainly leaning towards the Nassau.”

He added, “She was very tired when she came out of the Lockinge Stakes, but we had a very good preparation between Ascot and Newmarket, and she's really been pleasing me since the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes.”

“In the Falmouth Stakes, I didn't think she got the rub of the green, but Snow Lantern is a very good filly. I felt at the time that we were the best horse in the race.”

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Fundraising Underway For Popular Consignor Johnny Hassett

A fundraising campaign has been launched by the Breeze-up Consignors Association (BUCA) to help with medical bills for Johnny Hassett, who is currently undergoing intensive cancer treatment in Germany.

Hassett, 49, a hugely popular member of the sales community under his Bloodstock Connection banner, was diagnosed with lung cancer last month and is receiving chemotherapy in a German hospital. The Irishman has developed a large following on Twitter through his regular video blogs throughout the last two breeze-up seasons which show both the training at his home in Co Clare, Ireland, and the sales process.

Hassett's colleague John Cullinan, one of the key figures in BUCA, said, “Johnny is a highly respected member of our community and he's known to everybody. It came as a very big shock to us all when we heard that he was in poor health. Some of his close friends and colleagues thought it would be good to try and help ease some of the concerns he might have at this stage. Mick and Sarah Murphy and Katie Rudd, among others, came up with this idea to try to use the network we have to get the message out there that while John is undergoing his treatment the fact that we can help a little bit financially will maybe help his recovery. We are all thinking of him and it's the least we can do.”

The gofundme page was made public on Wednesday evening and by Thursday morning had already raised more than €50,000 towards a stated target at this stage of €250,000.

Anyone wishing to donate to the campaign can do so via this link.

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