Unbeaten Inspiral aiming to lay down a Classics marker at Newmarket

FRANKIE Dettori explains his longevity like this – why would he want to hang up his riding boots when there are many more big races to be won?

The 50-year-old was speaking in the context of another summer of Group One successes and last week’s 25th anniversary of his ‘magnificent seven’ at Ascot.

Yet he could also have been speaking about horses like Inspiral who bids to cement her place at the head of ante-post lists for next year’s Classics in the bet365 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket today. Bred to be very smart as a daughter of Frankel out of high-class racemare Starscope, the Cheveley Park Stud-owned youngster has so far lived up to her blue-blooded pedigree with a hat-trick of victories.

An impressive debut performance at Newmarket was followed by even more dominant displays in the Star Stakes at Sandown and the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting last month.

Inspiral is widely expected to stretch her unbeaten record to four over the Rowley Mile, but connections are taking nothing for granted.

“She’s done everything right so far and is a lovely filly,” said Cheveley Park’s managing director Chris Richardson.

“She’s working well – but this is a big step up, and she’ll be racing on some rain-softened ground, which she hasn’t encountered before.

“Her mother went on it – and what will be will be.

“Dreams may be shattered, but we may have even bigger dreams for next year if all goes our way.”

John and Thady Gosden’s Inspiral is one of two unbeaten fillies in today’s nine-strong field, along with the James Ferguson-trained Mise En Scene.

The daughter of Siyouni has so far won a novice event at Haydock and the Group Three Prestige Stakes at Goodwood – and got a taste for the undulations of Newmarket during a recent racecourse gallop.

Ferguson said: “After Goodwood, the first thing Oisin (Murphy) said was that she needs a mile.

“She did a nice piece of work on the racecourse and she seemed to handle it fine. We are very lucky the track is on our doorstep.”

Charlie Appleby’s Wild Beauty was no match for Inspiral in Sandown’s Star Stakes, but has since won a Grade One at Woodbine.

“We were delighted to see Wild Beauty win a G1 in Canada, when she improved for the step up to a mile,” he said.

Meanwhile, Appleby’s Native Trail will face seven rivals when he puts his unbeaten record on the line in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket tomorrow.

One of the biggest threats to Native Trail appears to be Roger Varian’s Bayside Boy, who lines-up off the back of a victory in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster under David Egan – one of the weighing room’s emerging young talents.

In other news Tom Ward will send Capote’s Dream in search of the hat-tric when the progressive four-year-old gelding tackles the £100,000 Coral Sprint Trophy at York’s season-ending meeting tomorrow.

Capote’s Dream has been a real flag-bearer for the Upper Lambourn-based trainer Ward, who only started out with a licence in 2019.

The son of Dream Ahead has won five times for Ward in 2021, including his latest two starts – one of which was the John Smith’s Sprint Handicap ay York in July.

Capote’s Dream’s latest assignment will see him line up against 21 rivals and he’ll race off a career-high mark of 92.

Ward said: “He has been great. He had a bit of time off since his last run, just to freshen him up a bit because he has been on the go for a while this year.

“But he seems well in himself, the ground is going to really suit. He sort of seems to do better with a bit of cut, so softer conditions will suit. He’s in good nick.”

Capote’s Dream will be ridden by Tom Marquand who leads the race to finish as the Living North Top Jockey at York in 2021.