Song Challenged To Find Her Sparkle

Connections of Soviet Song hope the mare discovers her sparkle so she can be aimed at the Cantor Spreadfair Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.

So far nothing has emerged to explain her disappointing performance in the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket.

The six-year-old, trained by James Fanshawe, could only finish sixth of seven to Rajeem on Wednesday in her bid to win the Group One contest for the third successive season.

'James has said that she hasn't really sparkled so far this year at home, so we will just see how she does work and make a decision from there as to what we do and where we go,' said Matthew Budden, racing manager to owners and breeders the Elite Racing Club.

'She's got plenty of options. There's the Sussex Stakes and the Prix d'Astarte, a Group One race for fillies, in France.

'If she comes back and shows her old sparkle before the Sussex I'm sure we'll go there, but she will have to for that.

'I think the main thing is just to find out how she is going at home.

'She was scoped after the Falmouth and she seemed fine. She ate up well that night and all the signs were that there was nothing obviously wrong with her.'

Budden added that they had not yet considered retirement for Soviet Song, who has won five Group One races and more than #1million in prize money in a glittering career.

'If her work at home suggests we should be doing that we would give it some consideration,' he concluded.

'Although she hasn't sparkled she has worked well enough and she did win that Group Two (Windsor Forest Stakes) at Royal Ascot.'

? PA Sport