Inspiral Set For Sun Chariot Farewell

Usually brilliant, sometimes a reluctant star but never dull, Cheveley Park Stud's Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is back on familiar soil as she looks to end her illustrious career in style in Saturday's G1 Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket. Dominant over the high-class yardstick Mqse De Sevigne (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) under Frankie 12 months ago, the homebred who has garnered six at this level including a GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf has failed to make a mark so far this term for varying reasons and will need to break on terms with the competition predictably strong here.

Connections face the growing problem of Inspiral's tendency to give away a sizeable advantage at the start, just as she did when attempting a third renewal of the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois when last seen at Deauville in August. “I'm just hoping she sparks up and shows some of her brilliance,” jockey Robert Havlin said. “We put a blind on her and gave her a squeeze coming out of the gates and she flew out of them. She seems to have taken to that quite well. She worked well the other day and her demeanour around the place in the last few weeks is a good sign.”

“We wouldn't want any more rain between now and then, but Newmarket does dry really quick,” he added. “She's had plausible excuses for the season, so we are hoping we have got her somewhere back to her best. She's been a special filly to be around and it'll be nice to be on her at the end.”

Now that David Menuisier has found the ideal trip of Tamfana (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), the 3-year-old is an interesting contender back over the course and distance of her unlucky fourth in the G1 1,000 Guineas. Enjoying a confidence boost when taking the G3 Atalanta Stakes in August, she bids to emulate Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) who used that Sandown contest as a stepping stone to Sun Chariot success three years ago. “It makes perfect sense to go back to the scene of the crime,” Menuisier said. “She goes on any ground, so soft going won't be any problem for her.”

Also in attendance is the long-absent 5-year-old Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who relished this trip when taking the July Course's G1 Falmouth Stakes last term. Hollie Doyle is hopeful her star mount can get back to the limelight she once enjoyed. “I've only sat on her once since Dubai and that was last week, when she felt great,” she explained. “She's a filly who in the past has taken a few runs to come to herself, but I was pleased with her and whatever happens here we hopefully have Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot to look forward to in two weeks' time.”

Cadran At The Mercy Of Kyprios…

Returning to the scene of his wayward-but-sensational victory in the 2022 G1 Qatar Prix du Cadran, Ballydoyle's Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is taken on by a new rival in the Wertheimers' 2023 G1 Prix Royal-Oak hero Double Major (Ire) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) who was impressive when winning his prep in the G2 Prix Kergorlay at Deauville in August. Quite what happened as he veered across the track two years ago is unknown, but the fact that Kyprios still won by 20 lengths says it all when it comes to assessing the quality of this supreme stayer.

“Ryan rode him handy and the pace just fell down when he turned in and he just got left in front,” O'Brien explained. “He obviously thought he was just going back to the stables and was heading for the gates. Ryan will be aware of that this time and he seems to be going there in really good form. Everything has gone well since the Irish St Leger and he's an amazing horse with a lot of class. He's very comfortable going those staying distances and we just thought it might be a bit disrespectful to the horse to ask him to run in an Arc after what he's after doing for us.”

The Wertheimers' racing manager Pierre-Yves Bureau said, “I think Kyprios is a real champion and we look more like a challenger at this time. Double Major has never been over this distance, but is in good form and has won plenty of group races. His last run in Deauville was very impressive and he showed a great turn of foot. I think he has a good chance, but Kyprios is a champion and in my mind we have to be at our very best and at this stage have to be seen as a challenger.”

The card's G1 Qatar Prix de Royallieu looks a notch below its usual standard, which may explain why 16 fillies and mares line up for the 14-furlong bonanza, with the G2 Lillie Langtry Stakes winner Term Of Endearment (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) possibly the standard-bearer and Yutaka Take warming up for his Arc ride on Masaaki Matsushima's Lily Hart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) for Ballydoyle. The G2 Qatar Prix Chaudenay boasts that stable's G1 St Leger runner-up Illinois (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), while the G2 Qatar Prix Dollar which has become something of a Champion Stakes trial in recent times sees another high-profile character in Shadwell's Anmaat (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}). Successful in this in 2022, he returned here last May to add the G1 Prix d'Ispahan to his tally and showed his wellbeing on his sole start in the interim when winning Haydock's G3 Rose of Lancaster Stakes in August.

“He's done incredibly well, the horse, because he had a pretty nasty injury in one of his feet and a lot of horses wouldn't have come back from it at all,” Shadwell's Angus Gold said. “He was out at the stud for best part of a year. He came back and won, so we gave him a bit of time after that just because he had a hard enough run there, but his weight is good, he really loves his work and is a fantastic character.”

Also in the Dollar is Victorious Racing's Calif (Ger) (Areion {Ger}), who is faced with a penalty having beaten Fantastic Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) in Munich's G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis in July, and Sunderland Holding's 2022 Champion Stakes third My Prospero (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) who looked to be coming back to his best last time when winning Windsor's G3 Winter Hill Stakes.

Fascinating Clash Gets Arc Card Off To A Flyer…

   Sunday's other group 1 races at ParisLongchamp are now fully formed, with the action getting underway with a clash of The Aga Khan's exciting G3 Prix d'Aumale winner Zarigana (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Ballydoyle's high-achieving fellow TDN Rising Star Bedtime Story (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in the G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac. Bedtime Story, who is on a retrieval mission having disappointed when over-racing in the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, is drawn in 10 and will need to be dropped out from that unfavourable stall.

A field of 10 will line up for the G1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, with Ballydoyle's G2 Futurity Stakes winner and G1 Vincent O'Brien National Stakes runner-up Henri Matisse (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) fitted with first-time blinkers. The star name among the 16 sprinters engaged in the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines is Victorious Racing's triple group 1 winner Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}), while the 11 runners in the G1 Prix de l'Opera Longines include the G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Content (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who has a tricky draw in nine tackling the Classic winners Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and Sparkling Plenty (Fr) (Kingman {GB}).

The last of the fixture's elite-level contests, the G1 Qatar Prix de la Foret, has an unusually huge 18-strong contingent with the draw over the seven furlongs even more crucial than ever. Marc Chan's popular 2022 winner Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}) has got lucky in two, while Godolphin's G1 Prix du Moulin hero Tribalist (GB) (Farhh {GB}) faces a stiff task in 12 next to the strugglinng past-luminary Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) in 13.