Inspiral© Photo Healy Racing
Chris Richardson is confident Inspiral can recover from her disappointment in the Lockinge Stakes with a bold effort in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Inspiral was sent off a short-priced favourite at Newbury, but it was her stablemate, the 22-1 shot Audience, who took the honours by a length and three-quarters, with the five-year-old mare beaten 13 lengths in fourth.
John Gosden, who trains Inspiral with his son Thady, and big-race jockey Kieran Shoemark both felt she was in need of the run and are expecting a far better showing at the Royal meeting, where connections have opted to step up in trip to 10 furlongs from what had been thought her most likely target of the Queen Anne over a mile.
Richardson, managing director of owners Cheveley Park Stud, said: “It will be exciting to see how she does. I think she’s ready to step up, that is the indication John has got from her work this spring.
“It’s obviously a very good race and Auguste Rodin is there as a worthy favourite.
“Like Inspiral he was impressive at the Breeders’ Cup, although I know he was beaten by White Birch last time in Ireland.
“It’ll be an exciting race full of class horses.”
Maurizio Guarnieri is hoping for a big run from Blue Rose Cen after she made her seasonal debut following an extended break with a fifth-place finish in the Prix d’Ispahan at ParisLongchamp.
That was her first run for Guarnieri since switching from the care of Christopher Head and he is happy with how she has come out of the race after only being beaten two lengths.
Christophe Soumillon has been booked for the ride due his greater experience of Ascot as Guarnieri hopes she can rediscover the form that saw her win four times in Group One company for Head.
Guarnieri said: “Blue Rose Cen did a really good canter after her run in the Group One Prix d’Ispahan and everything has been good with her after the race.
“She did a good trial recently with Soumillon on board and everything went well.
“After the race at Longchamp she has had a good time. She is in good condition and eats everything every day.
“It will be very hard to take on colts like Auguste Rodin and a filly like Inspiral who has changed distance. But we hope Blue Rose Cen can run a really good race.”
Aidan O’Brien expects better ground will help last year’s dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin in his bid to get back on track.
He was beaten into second by White Birch in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, after finishing last of the 12 runners in a disappointing display in the Dubai Sheema Classic in his only other run this season.
O’Brien told Racing TV: “We were happy with his run at the Curragh and have been very happy with him since. At the Curragh the ground got a little bit slower than he would have liked and he had a bit of a wobble coming down the hill.
“We have always had our eye on this race for a long time and all the other races were kind of stepping stones along the way.
“You can’t win every race every day, but we’ve been very happy with him.”
Zarakem is another French raider and trainer Jerome Reynier is looking to put a disappointing effort in the Prix Ganay behind him in Berkshire.
Reynier said: “He’s done nothing wrong and won five in a row last year as a three-year-old, including two Listed races.
“His reappearance was really good when he won the Prix d’Harcourt in early April and then we supplemented him for the Prix Ganay where everything went wrong.
“We will ride him like we did in the Harcourt, riding him from the back for a place and you never know what could happen.
“If there is enough pace he will be able to come from behind and he is a really nice, improving horse and is behaving much better than he did as a three-year-old. Now it is time to take this shot and a gamble.”
Auguste Rodin’s conqueror White Birch was taken out at the declaration stage following an imperfect blood test, but Horizon Dore, Alflaila, Royal Rhyme, Lord North, Hans Andersen and Snobbish have all stood their ground.
