Globetrotting Godolphin filly strikes in the Queen Charlotte Stakes

Chelmsford City Racecourse welcomed a classy field for the signature race of the season on Sunday, the Listed Louise Roederer Queen Charlotte Fillies’ Stakes, which went the way of the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Soft Whisper.

Top-rated of the eight runners, the Godolphin four-year-old started favourite under last season’s champion apprentice Marco Ghiani and though keen in the early stages she saw the seven furlongs out well, making virtually all to win by a length and a quarter from Barbara Keller’s Bounce The Blues, trained by Andrew Balding. Improvised, representing Steve Parkin’s Clipper Logistics and trainer David O’Meara, was a further quarter of a length back in third.

Beautifully bred, by Dubawi out of daughter of Sea The Stars, Soft Whisper has now won seven of her 15 starts, including the Listed Rosemary Stakes at Newmarket last autumn, and she followed up her previous win at Ascot by scooping almost £57,000 of the £100,000 prize-money on offer for the race.

“She jumped really well,” said Marco Ghiani. “Ideally I’d have got a lead but she travelled really well and when I asked her to pick up she did it really well so I was pleased with her. She’s a great filly and Saeed is in great form. The last time I had a ride for Godolphin was at the end of last year so it was a bit unexpected but it was nice to get the call to ride in a good race like this and hopefully I can get a few more rides for them now.”