Inspirational Girl (NZ) Makes Her Mark in Melbourne

With a half-sister about to go through the ring during Karaka 2022, high-class mare Inspirational Girl (NZ) (Reliable Man) could hardly have chosen a better moment to bring her outstanding Perth form across to the other side of Australia. 

Bought for $190,000 from the 2017 Premier Sale, Inspirational Girl played a starring role in Saturday’s A$300,000 Group Two TAB Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington. She has now had 15 starts for 10 wins, three placings and more than A$1.3 million in stakes. This week Jamieson Park will offer a half-sister by U S Navy Flag, going through the ring as Lot 116 in Book 1 of Karaka 2022.

Inspirational Girl was already a proven star in Western Australia, where she had won nine races headed by the Group One Railway Stakes (1600m) in late 2020. But now she has reached the same high standard in Melbourne, lowering the colours of boom galloper Zaaki (Leroidesanimaux).

Inspirational Girl was ridden by Damian Lane on Saturday and settled in fifth before producing an irresistible finish over the top of the hot favourite to score by a short neck.

“She just dwelt at the start a little bit, a little bit worse than I had hoped, but then I thought I could get on the fence and on to the back of Zaaki,” Lane said. “What would normally work against a horse, worked for me. I was able to zip over, find the back of Zaaki and get a great run from there.

“She got a bit of momentum up in the straight, and she was strong through the line.

“She just has to have improvement in her. This was only her third run in 14 months, or something like that. Everything she has done, from the first run to now, she’s improved.”

Inspirational Girl is now trained by Danny O’Brien for powerful Perth owners Bob and Sandra Peters.

“She got out in time and has run down a top-class horse in Zaaki, which is very hard to do,” O’Brien said.

“She hasn’t done a lot of racing over the last year and a half. She is a mare who should improve out of this, as well as what she did out of the first-up run.

“Two weeks to the All-Star Mile (1600m, March 19) is just a perfect step for her. She’ll have had the two runs, and third up into the All-Star Mile, now that she gets her start in it. We’ll certainly have no excuses for her on All-Star Mile Day.”