What might have been? Inspiral and Charyn clash could have been one for the ages if she'd behaved
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Oh, Inspiral! So much talent but still winless for the year after walking out of the starting stalls in Sunday's Prix Jacques le Marois. In previous seasons, any jockey worth their place in the weighing room would have been willing to commit dastardly acts to get into her saddle.
But the last time her jockey came back grinning was at Santa Anita in November. These days, it's her previous jockeys who are most likely to be smiling after her races.
Kieran Shoemark, who lost the ride after she was unplaced in the Lockinge and the Prince of Wales's, must have been experiencing a sense of vindication about five seconds into the Marois. Frankie Dettori tasted defeat four times on Inspiral, including when she was a 1-7 shot for the Falmouth, but everyone remembers the highlights – and, in fairness, it's three years since any other jockey steered her to victory. He may also have allowed himself a quiet, transatlantic smirk.
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Published on inThe Cook Review
Last updated
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