April 26, 2019 - Sandown Park, Race 6, Alw, GBP £10,000, 9.9F, 16.3500
Sparkle Roll (Fr), F, 3, 2016 by Kingman (GB)
1st Dam: Ysoldina (Fr) (G1SP-Fr, $174,441), by Kendor (Fr)
2nd Dam: Rotina (Fr), by Crystal Glitters
3rd Dam: Rudolfina (Ire), by Pharly (Fr)
Owner: Kin Hung Kei, Qatar Racing & Laurent Dassault
Breeder: Aliette & Gilles Forien (Fr)
Trainer: John Gosden
Sandown’s 10-furlong fillies’ novice contest that graces Friday’s card was formerly a maiden traditionally targeted by the big yards, with names such as User Friendly (GB) (Slip Anchor {GB}), and Dar Re Mi (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) first bandied about here. The latter went on to group 1 glory for the John Gosden yard and the same cannot be ruled out forSparkle Roll (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) after the grey comfortably defied a seven-pound penalty in the Nordoff Robbins Sir George Martin Memorial Fillies’ Novice S.
Off the mark on her second start over a mile on good-to-soft ground at Haydock in September, Kin Hung Kei, Qatar Racing and Laurent Dassault’s half-sister to the G1 Epsom Derby hero Wings of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}) had different underfoot conditions to deal with here as well as the extra burden of weight taking on some well-regarded maidens. Attracting support nonetheless as the 13-8 favourite, she quickly recovered from a slightly tardy break to sit in third under Oisin Murphy before being eased to the front with 2 1/2 furlongs remaining. Not forced out of her comfort zone from there, the second highest-priced filly of the 2017 Arqana August Yearling Sale at €750,000 held a snug two-length margin at the line over King Power Racing’s 2.5million gns Tattersalls October Book 1 graduate King Power (GB)(Frankel {GB}).
Bearing in mind that Gosden’s 2018 runner in this, Highgarden (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), was sent to York’s G3 Musidora S. after finishing third it was no surprise to hear that Sparkle Roll will also tackle that May 15 premier Epsom Oaks trial. Her trainer said, “I was very happy with her. We will now point her towards the Musidora and that would be the plan. We like her a lot. She enjoyed the climb here today.� Despite being by Juddmonte’s burgeoning sensation Kingman, she looks likely on racing style to stay the mile-and-a-half trip of that Classic as the aforementioned Wings of Eagles did so well before his career was ended by an injury sustained when a close third in the G1 Irish Derby, G1SW-Eng & G1SP-Ire, $1,376,832. Interestingly, the dam Ysoldina (Fr) (Kendor {Fr}) had the pace to finish third in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches but was later runner-up over 10 1/2 furlongs in the G2 Prix Corrida.
Like the dam, her two other black-type siblings both by Oasis Dream (GB), Torentosa (Fr) and Gyrella (Ire), were trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre and turned out to be faster types with the former runner-up in the five-furlong Listed Criterium de Vitesse and Gyrella third in the seven-furlong Listed Prix Ceres. Four of Ysoldina’s five black-type half-siblings were group winners with the multiple Scandinavian champion Appel Au Maitre (Fr) (Starborough {GB}), the G2 Prix Jean Romanet and G2 Premio Lydia Tesio scorer Whortleberry (Fr) (Starborough {GB}) and G1 Prix Saint-Alary heroine Belle et Celebre (Fr) (Peintre Celebre) doing their best work at around 12 furlongs. Ysoldina’s 2018 offering is a filly by the red-hot Siyouni (Fr) named Orendina (Fr).
