By Tom Frary
Allowed to start at 18-1 for York's G3 Tattersalls Musidora S. on Wednesday, Lady Bamford's Soul Sister (Ire) (Frankel {GB}–Dream Peace {Ire}, by Dansili {GB}) threw her hat into the ring for the Oaks with a dominant display under Frankie Dettori. Ignored due to her tame effort when last in the seven-furlong G3 Fred Darling S. on testing ground at Newbury last month, the homebred travelled best of all with two behind early on ground without give for the first time. As TDN Rising Stars Infinite Cosmos (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Gather Ye Rosebuds (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}) over-raced in front, the full-sister to the G3 Prix Thomas Bryon winner Dreamflight (GB) took her time and built a head of steam on the outer to take command two furlong out. Soon clear, the John and Thady Gosden trainee was four lengths ahead of the G1 Fillies' Mile runner-up Novakai (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) at the line, as the 15-8 favourite Infinite Cosmos wound up half a length behind in third.
“We ran in the Fred Darling, but the ground was bottomless and it ended up being a nice piece of work,” Gosden Sr said of the winner, whose only 2-year-old start saw her battle to success in a mile maiden at Doncaster in October. “I didn't expect her to win by four lengths, but I did think she'd definitely be in the three. Frankie thinks she should run in the Oaks, so we will. I'd explained to Lady Bamford we needed to find out what we had and I knew the trip and ground would improve her. At the moment, I think we'll have Running Lion in the Oaks as well, so we've got two lovely fillies.”
Soul Sister may have benefitted to a degree from the fact that several of the leading fancies did too much early, but her commanding margin at the line told its own tale. “The ground and the distance at Newbury were wrong and John's horses all needed the run at the time,” Dettori added. “She gave me a great feel, travelled well and quickened twice.”
Wow, that was impressive! 😍
Frankel filly Soul Sister shows a brilliant turn of foot to storm clear of her rivals and win the @Tattersalls1766 Musidora Stakes in tremendous style under @FrankieDettori for team Gosden 🚀@yorkracecourse pic.twitter.com/q4pKDgFLhh
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 17, 2023
Novakai is set for the G1 Prix de Diane according to Karl Burke. “You're always a bit disappointed when you get beat, but she ran a lovely race for her first run and the winner had a run under her belt,” he said. “She got in a nice rhythm. With hindsight we probably could have gone and made the running, but they were going a nice, even gallop and she quickened up once and just keeps galloping after that. She is in the English Oaks as well and I'm sure she would stay a mile and a half, but I know Sheikh Mohammed Obaid was favouring the French Oaks beforehand.”
Sir Michael Stoute said of Infinite Cosmos, “She ran a nice, solid race and stays well. She's still a little bit raw. We would have liked a lead.” Richard Fahey said of the fourth Midnight Mile (Ire) (No Nay Never), “She ran well and there was plenty of strength in depth in the race. I just felt she got tired in the last furlong, so that will put her right. We'll keep her at that trip at the moment, definitely. On the dam's side she can go further in time, but at the moment I'm thinking of the Prix de Diane and I haven't changed my mind.”
Pedigree Notes
Soul Sister is the sixth foal out of the dam, whose career tally included a win in the G2 Prix de la Nonette and placings in two editions of the GI Diana S. and GI E. P. Taylor S. apiece and a GI Flower Bowl Invitational. Bought for 2.7million gns at the 2013 Tattersalls December Mares Sale, she produced the stakes-placed Questionare (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), Frankel's group 3-placed Herman Hesse (GB) and the ultimately disappointing TDN Rising Star Guru (GB) (Kingman {GB}). Her fourth foal was the aforementioned Andre Fabre-trained Dreamflight, winner of the 2021 G3 Prix Thomas Bryon and last year's Listed Prix Omnium II, while she is also responsible for a 2-year-old colt by Sea The Stars (Ire) and a yearling filly by Le Havre (Ire).
Dream Peace is a daughter of Truly A Dream (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}), who annexed the E. P. Taylor when it was staged as a grade II and who also produced Ballydoyle's G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains runner-up Catcher In The Rye (Ire) by Dansili's sire Danehill. Also the third dam of the G3 Lacken S. scorer Only Mine (Ire) (Pour Moi {Ire}), she hails from the high-class dynasty of the group 1-winning half-sisters Moonstone (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}) and Cerulean Sky (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}), who both proved to be top producers. This is also the family of last year's G1 Platinum Jubilee S. hero Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the G1 Empire Rose S. and G1 Australian Oaks heroine Colette (Aus) (Hallowed Crown {Aus}).
Wednesday, York, Britain
TATTERSALLS MUSIDORA S.-G3, £130,000, York, 5-17, 3yo, f, 10f 56yT, 2:10.11, gd.
1–SOUL SISTER (IRE), 128, f, 3, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Dream Peace (Ire) (GSW-Fr, MGISP-Can, MGISP-US, $815,242), by Dansili (GB)
2nd Dam: Truly A Dream (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
3rd Dam: Truly Special (Ire), by Caerleon
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Lady Bamford (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden; J-Frankie Dettori. £73,723. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $96,173. *Full to Dreamflight (GB), GSW-Fr, $127,492; Full to Herman Hesse (GB), GSP-Aus, $196,401. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Novakai (GB), 128, f, 3, Lope De Vega (Ire)–Elasia (GB), by Nathaniel (Ire). O/B-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum (GB); T-Karl Burke. £27,950.
3–Infinite Cosmos (Ire), 128, f, 3, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Waila (GB), by Notnowcato (GB).
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. TDN Rising Star. O-Exors of the late Sir E D Rothschild; B-Southcourt Stud (IRE); T-Sir Michael Stoute. £13,988.
Margins: 4, HF, SHD. Odds: 18.00, 3.30, 1.88.
Also Ran: Midnight Mile (Ire), Sea of Roses (GB), Lambada (Ire), Empress Wu (GB), Gather Ye Rosebuds (GB).
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
