Inspiral bounces back to win Prix Jacques le Marois

Inspiral banished the memories of her shock defeat last time out to claim a third career Group 1 as she took the Prix Jacques Le Marois under Frankie Dettori on Sunday at Deauville, France.

The victory secured the 3-year-old filly a guaranteed starting position in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Inspiral (7-4) trained by John and Thady Gosden, was held up in midfield in the early stages of the race as the Japanese challenger Bathrat Leon made the early running. As the race developed within the final two furlongs, Dettori made his move aboard Inspiral, who quickened up smartly and struck the front. She was not to be passed and bravely held off the late challenge from Light Infantry to win by a neck, with Erevann another neck behind the front pair in third place. Order of Australia, the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner, finished fourth, followed by race favorite Coroebus in fifth.

After completing the mile in 1:34.07 over a course listed as soft, Inspiral was cut to 8-1 with one British bookmaker for the Breeders' Cup Mile in November. Inspiral, a daughter of Frankel, had won her first five races before finishing second at odds-on in the Falmouth Stakes (G1) at Newmarket on July 8.

After the race, John Gosden said, "There was a strong pace today and they went hard up front. Then she switched off and relaxed and when she wanted to go Frankie said go and she hit the front a little soon to say the least.

“She’s a 3-year-old filly taking on older horses and she gets a little weight for that, which makes a difference no doubt, but I think she’s showing her versatility. The key with her is to get her to relax early. She’s very generous and wants to give but sometimes with that she can be a little overenthusiastic, but she’s done it well today and showed a lot of courage in the closing stages.”

Gosden indicated that Inspiral would now be freshened up ahead of a tilt at the one-mile Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1) on British Champions Day at Ascot on Oct. 15.

Dettori and John Gosden combined to win the 2020 Prix Jacques Le Marois with Palace Pier. John and Thady Gosden trained Palace Pier to victory in last year’s race with Dettori also in the saddle. Dettori also becomes the leading rider in the history of the race, with seven wins after today’s triumph.

“We went extremely fast throughout," Dettori said. "She’s a filly you need to know and at the 500-meter mark she took me there and she wanted to go. She’s the kind of filly that doesn’t want to disappoint and I hit the front with plenty of time left. John (Gosden) thinks she could get a bit further so I wasn’t afraid about whether I would get to the line, and she galloped right to the end.”

The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 82 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland on Nov. 4 and 5.

In addition to Inspiral, six other runners have also earned automatic berths into the Breeders’ Cup Mile thus far in 2022: Casa Creed, winner of the Fourstardave (G1); Baaeed, who won the Sussex Stakes (G1) in England; Jet Dark, winner of the Queen’s Plate (G1) in South Africa; Viejos Tiempos, who captured the Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella (G1) in Chile; Count Again, who took the Shoemaker Mile (G1), and Songline, winner of the Yasuda Kinen (G1) in Japan.