Spirit Of Bermuda shortly after winning the Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa Fillies’ Handicap in Newmarket on July 10, 2021 (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
Inspired by an enormously impressive performance on Saturday in Newmarket, the home of English racing, Spirit Of Bermuda took part in a listed race in southern France.
The three-year-old filly owned by Bermuda Racing Ltd will race on July 25th at the Le Teste-De-Buch racecourse in Gironde, about 65 kilometers southwest of Bordeaux.
The race over the mile distance on expected good to firm ground is viewed by the handlers as a natural evolution of the seven furlong distance, over which Spirit has triumphed three out of four times.
“We think it’s the right next progressive step for them,” said Simon Scupham, founder and director of Bermuda Racing Ltd, yesterday to the Royal Gazette of Spirit’s first exposure outside of England.
Spirit Of Bermuda July 10, 2021 (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
Immediately after Spirit showed up in good company six days ago at the Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa Fillies’ Handicap, a class 2 race, there was talk of taking her to the upcoming renewal of the prestigious Glorious Goodwood meeting, where she won her Girls in July 2020.
For a minute we considered taking part in the Whispering Angel Oak Tree Stakes, a Group 3 affair in Goodwood on July 28th with an offer of 45,368 yen for the winner.
Spirit Of Bermuda July 10, 2021 (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
Renowned trainer William Haggas believes that Spirit from Twilight Son’s Laqataat is a horse that “loves real solid ground and gallops hard” and “wants a mile”.
Spirit Of Bermuda July 10, 2021 (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
Her direct pedigree is of the six to seven stadia variety, although her grandfather Alhaarth raced a mile to ten stadiums with honors.
The Newmarket-based coach had previously given in to those favoring seven stadiums for Spirit, but his penchant for a mile weighed against the quality of opponents the three-year-old may have faced at Goodwood has resulted in a midfield assignment.
Scupham said, “To go straight to Goodwood, it’s a test track there and you don’t know what the weather will be like. They take on older horses and it’s a group 3 that is a little better in class. So it’s one step at a time with her and we think this is a perfect next step. “
Spirit has previously been tried over a mile three times without ever indicating that it will make a name for itself in the Sport of Kings at the distance.
Spirit Of Bermuda July 10, 2021 (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
Her eight-stage debut came on soft ground at Pontefract last September when she finished second out of six runners and was beaten by four lengths.
Spirit Of Bermuda July 10, 2021 (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
This was followed on April 15 of this year by a five-fold defeat in fourth of ten runners at Newmarket, on preferred good to firm ground, where she chased the leader before she faded.
Spirit of Bermuda Williams Haggas with Sponsor Representatives July 10, 2021 (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
Then two weeks later at Redcar, her quirky nature manifested itself in the filly not leaving the stalls.
“It can be a little quirky, but a lot of the better horses have a bit of quirk,” explained Scupham.
Spirit Of Bermuda jockey Tom Marquand with a sponsor representative on July 10, 2021 (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
Redcar’s disappointment was dashed by a dominant peak performance at Leicester on June 1st. That form was not stamped an even cheaper nap by Divine Spirit, the 15: 8 favorite who hit eight lengths 17 days later in Newmarket.
Winning Connections: Spirit Of Bermuda July 10, 2021 (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
Spirit’s run at the Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa Fillies’ handicap – where it started at 12-1 odds after gaining six pounds in the weights for the Leicester win – distanced her from that form and gave cause for optimism.
Spirit Of Bermuda July 10, 2021 (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
Spirit Of Bermuda arrives in Newmarket on July 10, 2021 (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
“Very happy today,” said Scupham immediately after the race, which was worth 16,200 yen for connections. “She really dominated the field and was determined to win.”
Spirit Of Bermuda in the winning enclosure on July 10, 2021 in Newmarket (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
Bathed in Sweat: Spirit Of Bermuda July 10, 2021 (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
Tom Marquand, a world-class jockey on the English circuit who is widely and somewhat wrongly regarded as the “other half” of the sensational Hollie Doyle, will continue his collaboration with Spirit in France.
Trainer William Haggas greets Spirit Of Bermuda in the winning enclosure July 10, 2021 (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
Spirit Of Bermuda July 10, 2021 (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
The course at Le Teste-De-Buch will include a curve, but that shouldn’t go beyond an equestrian whose only concern was getting out of the boxes in order.
Spirit Of Bermuda with the pink and blue Bermuda national jersey July 10, 2021 (Photo by John Hoy / Hoycubed Photography)
“It comes by leaps and bounds under Williams training,” added Scupham. “The team he has there knows how to get the most out of what we saw today.
“Great jockey, great ride.”