Brilliant Star heads to Kempton after Gosdens skip Cheshire Oaks test

Brilliant Star’s next step told the story as clearly as her Yarmouth win did. Rather than throw the Cracksman filly into the Cheshire Oaks against I’m The One, John and Thady Gosden sent her to Kempton for a 10-furlong novice, a quieter route that preserved her confidence while still asking for progress.

That decision made sense because Brilliant Star had already shown sharp ability at Yarmouth on April 21, when she landed the Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Fillies’ Restricted Novice Stakes by 10 lengths on good to firm ground. Sent off the 2-9 favorite, she made all and powered clear in a Racing Post clocking of 2:21.08, a course record, before earning an RPR of 95. Rab Havlin’s assessment afterward was neatly in line with the new plan: he said she looked like a “solid mile-and-a-half filly.” The Kempton assignment looked less like a retreat than a careful move to keep building a filly whose early evidence already pointed well beyond maiden company.

The Gosdens also had a live example of why caution can pay. I’m The One had won her Newbury debut by six lengths over 10 furlongs on April 17 and was quickly pitched as a Classic prospect, with an Oaks trial seen as the obvious next step. But after the Cheshire Oaks on May 6, Amelia Earhart beat her by two lengths, and William Buick said I’m The One had missed the break and got into trouble around the bend at Chester. Against that backdrop, bypassing the Chester test and choosing Kempton instead looked like shrewd placement rather than hesitation.

Brilliant Star’s appeal runs deeper than one big win. She is the second foal out of Star Catcher, a five-time winner of £961,165 whose résumé includes the Irish Oaks, British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes and Prix Vermeille. That pedigree, which also traces through Cannock Chase and Pisco Sour, gives her obvious value as both a racer and a future broodmare. For the Gosdens, the immediate task was not to force a filly with that profile into a demanding tactical battle at Chester. It was to keep her moving forward in a race she should be well equipped to control, then let stronger targets come on schedule.