Tag Archive for: Friendly Soul

Friendly Soul bounces back in some style at Ascot

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Kieran Shoemark enjoyed a welcome big-race victory as Friendly Soul galloped on strongly from the front to land the Longines Valiant Stakes at Ascot in convincing style.

Shoemark has had mixed fortunes since taking over as number one jockey for John and Thady Gosden, but silenced his doubters with a first Group Three triumph for the yard.

Friendly Soul was pressed by Doom entering the home straight, but responded admirably and powered clear to prevail by three lengths at 100-30.

She made it three wins from four outings, with the sole blip being a disappointing effort when sent off the odds-on favourite for the Musidora Stakes at York.

Kieran Shoemark returns victorious aboard Friendly Soul
Kieran Shoemark returns victorious aboard Friendly Soul (PA)

John Gosden said: “She won as a two-year-old and won very well in the Listed race (Pretty Polly, at Newmarket in May) over a mile and a quarter and we were thinking Prix de Diane.

“She was drawn nine at York and when you come out of stall nine over a mile and a quarter at York the stables are on your right. She saw that and cocked her jaw. She is a strong-willed lady and she cocked her jaw the whole race, so that explains that.

“We did a lot of checking her out as well and couldn’t find anything wrong and gave her lots of time off, as she is still an immature filly, and brought her back for this. She has done it in good style.

“The break has helped and she is still relatively immature, she is the type of filly who will get better as the year goes on. Mr (George) Strawbridge bred her and he knows the family well and she will be a lovely filly next year.

“That is a stiff mile and it rises a lot and I think a mile and a quarter is her proper trip – I wouldn’t want to go a mile and a half. We planned to run her in the Prix de Diane, but that race was in June so now we will have to come up with another Baldrick plan.”

Friendly Soul was a big winner for Kieran Shoemark
Friendly Soul was a big winner for Kieran Shoemark (Steven Paston/PA)

He went on: “It’s been difficult for Kieran because a lot of our horses haven’t been right. Our highest rated three-year-olds are her and Spiritual so our three-year-olds are, I’m afraid, way below what our owners would have wanted and the older horses, a lot of them didn’t click with the cold spring we’ve had, so to that extent it’s not been easy.

“I always remind people that we had a couple of winners at Ascot and they say we’ve had a terrible year and I say to them ‘what do you mean’ as we haven’t even got halfway through the year yet. As you know we’ve got the rest of the season to come and there is so much racing into late summer and autumn and if you want to you can carry on 12 months of the year. ”

Shoemark said: “John has been brilliant and offers me plenty of support. We’ve got a lot of nice horses and it’s very exciting going forward. John and Thady continue to have my back, as do all the owners, so it’s a pleasure and a privilege to ride for the team at Clarehaven and I look forward to what lies ahead.

“I think she is a progressive filly and I am glad to see her back to winning ways after her flop in the Musidora. We can put that behind us now and she hopefully has a bright future.”



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Friendly Soul aiming for Musidora welcome on the Knavesmire

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John and Thady Gosden’s Friendly Soul brings her flawless record to the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes at York on Wednesday.

The Kingman filly is unbeaten in two starts, having taken a Kempton maiden late last year before returning at Listed level on the Rowley Mile at the Guineas meeting.

There she was well able to handle the rise in class, starting at 10-1 under Kieran Shoemark and impressing with a length-and-a-quarter-success ahead of Andrew Balding’s well-regarded Kalpana.

The third was a further 12 lengths behind, making Friendly Soul’s performance visually taking as she stepped up to a mile and a quarter.

She will now run over half a furlong further on the Knavesmire, where she will be partnered by Shoemark again when tested for the first time at Group Three level.

Friendly Soul (right) getting the better of Kalpana at Newmarket
Friendly Soul (right) getting the better of Kalpana at Newmarket (David Davies for The Jockey Club)

The jockey said: “She was very impressive on her second start at Newmarket 10 days ago.

“She’ll hopefully improve plenty, and I look forward to riding her on a lovely galloping track at York.”

Ralph Beckett has been on the mark in Oaks trials so far this year with Forest Fairy and You Got To Me, and he has two Musidora contenders in the shape of Salisbury novice winner La Pasionaria and Fillies’ Mile fourth Classical Song.

Both make their seasonal debut, and Rossa Ryan will take the ride on the latter horse having partnered her on her final start of 2023.

He said: “Her work at home has been lovely. She’s wintered really well and, judging by her two-year-old career, it looks like the step up in trip will suit her well, so I would have no fear on that front.

Classical Song at Sandown last year
Classical Song at Sandown last year (Adam Davy/PA)

“I’ll be hoping she can run a nice race and is a filly that as the year goes on will progress very well.”

Aidan O’Brien saddles Mayfair, a Justify filly out of a Cheveley Park winner in the Galileo mare Clemmie.

Fourth to a subsequent Group performer in Purple Lily on debut, the chestnut is yet to win a race but was only narrowly denied in her two starts over seven furlongs this year.

She now steps up in trip and O’Brien is hopeful the extended distance will be to her liking.

“Mayfair is in good form, I know she’s still a maiden, but we think she is still progressing and this race will do her good,” said the Ballydoyle trainer, who is already responsible for Oaks favourite Ylang Ylang and the fancied Rubies Are Red.

“We always felt that stepping her up in trip will make a big difference to her so we are expecting a good bit of improvement.

“The Musidora is always a key trial to get a gauge on where a lot of the fillies are, it’s always a very good trial but you don’t know where you stand with them until you try.

“She’s only run over seven furlongs so far so we are expecting to see an improvement over 10 furlongs.”

Charlie Johnston runs Francophone, a Study Of Man filly who is owned and was bred by Kirsten Rausing.

A debut winner who ended her season with a fifth-placed run in the Group Two May Hill at Doncaster, the bay returned this year to win again at the first time of asking when taking a Southwell event on the all-weather.

Johnston said: “It’s obviously a fair jump up in class, but we’ve always thought she was a filly who would be at home in Pattern class – we’ll learn a lot more on Wednesday.”

Rausing has a second runner in Sinology, trained by David Simcock, and the field is completed by the Balding-trained Secret Satire.



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Friendly Soul remains unbeaten in Pretty Polly

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Kieran Shoemark helped cement his position with the Gosdens as he steered Friendly Soul to a stylish victory in the William Hill Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket.

John and Thady Gosden’s daughter of Kingman is a half-sister to a plethora of high-ranking winners and created a decent impression on debut at Kempton in December.

She confirmed the promise of that Sunbury effort on the Rowley Mile on Sunday where she was both tough and professional when sent forward from the start in the hands of Shoemark.

Having made most of the running, Friendly Soul (10-1) had enough in reserve to beat off the sustained challenge of 4-6 favourite Kaldana, with the duo pulling well clear of the rest of the field in the closing stages.

There was a length and a quarter between Friendly Soul and the heavily-backed Kaldana at the line, with a further 12 back to the third Kitteridge in a performance that sparks hopes of an exciting future.

Friendly Soul would have to be supplemented into the Betfred Oaks at Epsom, but joint-trainer John Gosden is instead eyeing a tilt at the French equivalent at Chantilly.

“I think it was a good race, I was impressed with the second when she won here at the Craven meeting so I think it was solid (form),” he said.

“I think she (Friendly Soul) is a lovely filly and I think she’s a mile and a quarter filly. She might be a filly for a visit to Chantilly (Prix de Diane).

“We’ve had a slow spring, it’s been very wet and cold so I haven’t been in a hurry with the horses. We hope that May is really the time they’ll start to come to themselves.”

John Gosden was delighted with the performance of Friendly Soul
John Gosden was delighted with the performance of Friendly Soul (Bradley Collyer/PA)

Gosden also paid tribute to Shoemark, who he confirmed is now effectively first jockey at Clarehaven after Frankie Dettori’s decision to move to America.

The trainer added: “I was feeling for Frankie last night, he had a rather tough night at Churchill Downs. He’s a great pal Frankie, we had years together and he casts a long shadow.

“Kieran has waited quietly and we gave him some rides last year. He rode for me as a schoolkid, he used to come in the holidays to ride out, and has always been very natural.

“His uncle (Peter Shoemark) who is our racing office manager took him home and managed to break his collarbone on a pony messing around somewhere. I’ve known him for many years, he’s a very talented rider with superb hands and a good judge. He’s bright and intelligent and a good horseman.”



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