By Tom Frary
Firmly back on track following her blip in the Musidora, George Strawbridge's Friendly Soul (GB) (Kingman {GB}–In Clover {GB}, by Inchinor {GB}) backed up her latest win in Ascot's G3 Valiant Stakes with another in Sunday's G2 Sumbe Prix Alec Head at Deauville. Returning to the 10-furlong trip over which she had impressed in Newmarket's Listed Pretty Polly Stakes and disappointed in York's Oaks trial in May, the John and Thady Gosden-trained homebred was sent to the front soon after the start by Kieran Shoemark as she had been over a mile last month.
There to be shot at in the straight, the even-money favourite kept finding to hold her rivals comfortably at bay and score by a length from Birthe (Ire) (Study Of Man {Ire}), with Candala (Fr) (Frankel {GB}) 1 1/2 lengths further back in third.
“She's a very good filly with only one blot on her copybook, but we rode her wrong that day and she likes to use her stride and doesn't like being restrained,” John Gosden said. “That tacky ground is not to her liking, but she's done it well. The Opera if the ground is like last year would be an option, but not if it is tres souple.”
Pedigree Notes
Friendly Soul is the latest success story out of the G3 Prix de Flore winner In Clover, who produced a trio of Group 1 winners in Dansili's With You (GB) and We Are (Ire) and Call The Wind (GB) by Frankel (GB). With You captured the Prix Rothschild, We Are the Prix de l'Opera and Call The Wind the Prix du Cadran, while the dam's three other black-type performers are headed by the dual listed scorer and G3 Prix de Lieurey-placed Dream Clover (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Another of her listed winners Incahoots (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in turn produced Frankel's G1 Prix de la Foret and G2 Prix de Sandringham winner Kelina (Ire).
In Clover is also the second dam of the Listed Prix Panacee winner Elodie (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) and the multiple group-placed Queen Trezy (Fr) (Almanzor {Fr}), and the third dam of the G2 Prix de Malleret third Yorokobi (Fr) (Camelot {GB}). Also responsible for a 2024 full-brother to Friendly Soul, she is out of the G3 Prix de Royaumont winner Bellarida (Fr) (Bellypha {Ire}) from the family of the G1 Hong Kong Vase hero Dominant (Ire) (Cacique {Ire}) and the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Teppal (Fr) (Camacho {GB}).
Sunday, Deauville, France
SUMBE PRIX ALEC HEAD (PRIX DE LA NONETTE)-G2, €130,000, Deauville, 8-18, 3yo, f, 10fT, 2:09.56, g/s.
1–FRIENDLY SOUL (GB), 126, f, 3, by Kingman (GB)
1st Dam: In Clover (GB) (GSW-Fr, $222,716), by Inchinor (GB)
2nd Dam: Bellarida (Fr), by Bellypha (Ire)
3rd Dam: Lerida (Fr), by Riverman
O/B-George Strawbridge (GB); T-John & Thady Gosden;
J-Kieran Shoemark. €74,100. Lifetime Record: 5-4-0-0,
€172,859. *1/2 to In Crowd (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), SW-Fr,
$184,336; 1/2 to Call The Wind (GB) (Frankel {GB}), G1SW-Fr,
GSP-UAE, $2,300,685; 1/2 to We Are (Ire) (Dansili {GB}),
G1SW-Fr, $437,651; 1/2 to Dream Clover (GB) (Oasis Dream
{GB}), MSW & GSP-Fr, $163,406; 1/2 to With You (GB) (Dansili
{GB}), G1SW-Fr, $640,753. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple
Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Birthe (Ire), 126, f, 3, Study Of Man (Ire)–Barakaat (Fr), by
Lope De Vega (Ire). (€10,000 Ylg '22 GOFAUT). O-Alain
Jathiere & Mme Christine Guilbert; B-Sabah Mubarak Al Sabah
(IRE); T-Laura Vanska. €28,600.
3–Candala (Fr), 123, f, 3, Frankel (GB)–Candarliya (Fr), by
Dalakhani (Ire). O-H H The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan's
Studs SC (FR); T-Francis-Henri Graffard. €13,650.
Margins: 1, 1HF, 1 3/4. Odds: Evens, 4.30, 2.70.
Also Ran: Sea The Boss (GB), Kitty Rose (GB), Rose Jaipur (Fr), Halfday (Fr).
Friendly Soul makes all! 🙌
John and Thady Gosden's three-year-old filly takes a step forward under @KShoemark, producing a gutsy display to land the G2 Prix Alec Head… pic.twitter.com/Mq4NyAO1Xe
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) August 18, 2024
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