Prix Vermeille Winner Friendly Soul Retired

Dual group 1 winner Friendly Soul (GB) has been retired for breeding, meaning she will not run in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T) Oct. 31 at Keeneland. George Strawbridge Jr.'s homebred daughter of Kingman (GB) landed the Prix Vermeille (G1) last month at ParisLongchamp Racecouse for the John & Thady Gosden stable before running a gallant fourth to Daryz (FR) in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), beaten by just 1 3/4 lengths. Friendly Soul won six of her 11 races, two at group 1 level, earning more than £1 million in prize money. She retires with a career-best BHA rating of 120. Joint-trainer John Gosden said: "I would like to thank owner Mr. Strawbridge for the incredibly sporting decision to keep such a valuable homebred mare in training with us at 5. She has been an absolute pleasure to train and to have at Clarehaven. Everybody here will be extremely sorry to see her go, but it's now time for her to start her new career at stud and we wish her every success." Reflecting on her career, Gosden added: "She was a brilliant filly who won the group 1 Prix de l'Opera and the group 2 Prix Alec Head as a 3-year-old. She then sustained an injury and could have been retired then, but Mr. Strawbridge, being a sportsman, gave her the whole year off at 4 to come back as a 5-year-old. "With her stellar pedigree and turn of foot, these are hopefully all qualities which will help her become a successful broodmare."