John Gosden is considering letting multiple Group One winning mares Nashwa and Inspiral lock horns in a heavyweight clash in the Virgin Bet Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket next month.
The Classic winning handler, who trains the pair in partnership with his son Thady, has hinted that the mile Group One prize on October 5 is a potential target for both five-year-olds after they came through racecourse gallops on the Rowley Mile on Wednesday with flying colours.
First to hit the track was Inspiral, who finished comfortably clear of her work companion under Ryan Moore following the conclusion of the mile exercise, before Nashwa did likewise over the same trip.
And although delighted with both, Gosden stressed that Nashwa will step forward considerably for the run having not been sighted since finishing down the field in the Dubai Turf at Meydan in March.
Gosden said: “Nashwa hasn’t raced since Dubai, but the ground was like a road that day, however she is back in good form. She hasn’t run since Dubai, which has been frustrating for her, and everyone associated with her. You can see with the time she has had off that it wasn’t from feeling tired from the journey.
"We had an issue that we had to deal with as simple as that and she required all the time for it. It is nice to have her back and she comes as a fresh filly into the autumn. There are plenty of races at this time of year. There are some in England, France and there is even America and Japan, there are plenty of races so we will see which way we plot our course.
“The Sun Chariot is here at home and that is an obvious place to go. The race will bring her on though as she is a huge filly with a great constitution. She probably takes more work than any filly I’ve ever known."
Equally delighted with Nashwa’s workout was Group One winning rider Hollie Doyle, who was sitting on the daughter of Frankel for the first time since March.
She said: “She seemed good in herself and was enjoying it all. I couldn’t fault her at all really. She galloped out nicely and settled well so I was very pleased. It has been a big blow not having her around this season, but hopefully now she is on the way back. I’m always excited to get back on her as she is a special filly.”
Things have failed to fall right for Inspiral this season, who has been out of luck in all three of her starts in 2024 following Group One defeats in the Lockinge Stakes, Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and when coming unstuck in her hat-trick bid in the Prix Jacques Le Marois last time out.
However, Gosden is confident that the fire still burns brightly in the daughter of Frankel, who ran out a three-and-three-quarter length winner of the Sun Chariot 12 months ago.
Gosden said: “We are obviously looking at the Sun Chariot with her as there are not many places to go with these Group One fillies at this time of year. First time out she badly needed the race in the Lockinge and then we went to a furiously hard-run Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, where I have never seen pace like it, and it just stretched her stamina.
“You come out of Swinley Bottom at that pace, and it was not like at Santa Anita where you go down a hill and spin around an oval. It just completely caught her out, stamina-wise, so we went back to a mile in France and we are doing so again here.
“She ran a super race in France after giving away a lot of ground at the start, but that is a game she has played before. The winner won well in France, and she just missed second, and in that class of race you can’t be giving them all ground like she did. You can’t judge her on all of those runs and her home work has been very good. We are happy enough with her going into this race."
And while it has been mooted that this could be Inspiral’s swansong, Gosden has not completely ruled out going to the well one more time.
He added: “We will see where we go from the Sun Chariot or whether we might say she has had a great racing career and it is time for her to go to the paddocks.
"We will run here and make all the decisions with Mrs Thompson (of owners Cheveley Park Stud). There is no plan at this stage apart from running her in the Sun Chariot.”
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