Inspiral (foaled 14 March 2019) is a British

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. She was one of the leading two-year-olds in Europe in 2021 when she was unbeaten in four races including the Star Stakes,

May Hill Stakes The May Hill Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each ...

and

Fillies' Mile The Fillies' Mile is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is schedu ...

Background

Inspiral is a bay filly with a white blaze bred and owned by the Newmarket-based

Cheveley Park Stud Cheveley Park Stud is a thoroughbred racehorse ownership and breeding operation in Newmarket, Suffolk, UK, which has bred and owned many notable horses. It is the oldest stud in Newmarket, the "capital" of British racing, with evidence of ...

. She was sent into training with John and Thady Gosden at Clarehaven Stables. She was from the sixth crop of foals sired by

Frankel Frankel is the surname of: * Benjamin Frankel (1906–1973), British composer * Bethenny Frankel (born 1970), American chef and reality television personality * Charles Frankel (1917–1975), American philosopher, known for Charles Frankel Prize * ...

, an undefeated racehorse whose other progeny have included Cracksman, Adayar,

Soul Stirring Soul Stirring ( ja, ソウルスターリング, link=no, foaled 13 February 2014) is a Japanese Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2016 she won the JRA Award for Best Two-Year-Old Filly after winning all three of her races including t ...

and

Hurricane Lane The name Lane has been used for eight tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. *Tropical Storm Lane (1978) *Tropical Storm Lane (1982) *Hurricane Lane (1988) *Hurricane Lane (1994) *Hurricane Lane (2000) *Hurricane Lane (2006) – a strong C ...

. Inspiral's dam Starscope won only one minor race but was a top-class performer who finished second in both the

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

and the

Coronation Stakes The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlong and 213 yards (1,603 metres), and it is schedul ...

. Starscope's dam Moon Goddess was a half-sister to

Medicean The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mu ...

and a descendant of the broodmare Life Hill, making her a distant relative of

Sherluck Sherluck (foaled 1958 in Virginia) was an American Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorse best known for winning the 1961 Belmont Stakes and ending Carry Back, Carry Back's chance to win the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, U.S. T ...

and

Caro Caro may refer to: Places * Caro, Michigan, United States * Caro, Morbihan, France * Çaro, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France Other uses * Caro (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Caro (surname), including a list of peo ...

Racing career

2021: two-year-old season

Inspiral made her track debut in a

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

over seven

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

on 26 June when she was ridden by Robert Havlin and started the 2/1 joint-favourite. After starting slowly she made steady progress in the last quarter mile, gained the advantage in the closing stages and won by one and a half

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...

from Ardbraccan and Calm Skies.

Frankie Dettori Lanfranco Dettori (; born 15 December 1970), better known as Frankie Dettori, is an Italian horse racing jockey based in the United Kingdom. Dettori has been British flat racing Champion Jockey three times and has ...

took over from Havlin when the filly was stepped up in class and started favourite for the

Listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

Star Stakes at

Sandown Park Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt races and one Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes. It regularly has horse racing ...

on 22 July. After being restrained in the early stages Inspiral went to the front approaching the final furlong and drew away to win "comfortably" by three and a half lengths from Wild Beauty (later to win the

Natalma Stakes The Natalma Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Run in mid-September, the Grade I race is run at a distance of one mile (8 furlongs) on turf and is open to two-year-old fillies. In 2 ...

). John Gosden commented "She's always been a classy filly. She'd done normal work at home on the bridle and won very nicely at Newmarket... She’s never been in front like that before, so she's done well... She'd shown a lot of ability and I thought she'd enjoy the track here. She'll have no problem getting a mile... she has a big frame, so she doesn't want over-racing this year." On 9 September at

Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy. History Doncas ...

Inspiral went off at odds of 2/9 for the

Group 2 The term Group 2 may refer to: * Alkaline earth metal, a chemical element classification * Astronaut Group 2, also known as The New Nine, the second group of astronauts selected by NASA in 1962 * Group 2 (racing), an FIA classification for cars in a ...

over one mile on good to firm ground. She tracked the leaders before going to the front inside the last quarter mile and won "readily" by three and three quarter lengths from Prosperous Voyage despite being eased down by Dettori near the finish. After the race Thady Gosden said "She’s done it very well. Obviously there were a few good fillies in the race and the ground was probably a bit too quick for her, but she showed plenty of class. She an exceptional filly, but if you see her walking around here she’s still got plenty of growing to do, so we’d be hopeful she’ll progress through the winter." For her final run of the season Inspiral was moved up to Group 1 class for the

at Newmarket on 8 October when she was again partnered by Dettori. She started the 8/11 favourite in a nine-runner field which also included Wild Beauty, Prosperous Voyage, Mise En Scene (

Prestige Stakes The Prestige Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place ...

), Concert Hall ( Weld Park Stakes), Magical Lagoon ( Flame of Tara Stakes) and Majestic Glory (

Sweet Solera Stakes The Sweet Solera Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is ...

). After racing towards the rear of the field in the early stages she took the lead approaching the final furlong and pulled away to win by two and a half lengths with Prosperous Voyage taking second place again. John Gosden said "Inspiral is improving with her racing and was pretty professional today. She's a big girl but she's getting stronger all the time. We'll see how she comes through the winter as regards to next year but if we have a cold one with those east winds we could go straight for the

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

. She'll get a mile and a quarter no problem." On 10 November Inspiral was named Champion Two-year-old Filly at the

Cartier Racing Awards The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races (40%) plus the votes cast by British racing journalists (30%) and readers of the ...

Pedigree

*Inspiral is

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...

3 × 4 to Rainbow Quest, meaning that this stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of he pedigree.

References

{{Cartier Champion Three-year-old Filly 2019 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 3-o Cartier Award winners