Lochangel

On her racecourse debut, Lochangel finished second in a maiden race over six furlongs at Kempton Park Racecourse on 7 September 1996. Three weeks later she was ridden by Frankie Dettori and started 5/4 joint favourite for the Blue Seal Stakes (for fillies with no more than one previous start) at Ascot Racecourse. She led from the start and won by three-quarters of a length from the Henry Cecil-trained Corsini.[6] Her win was significant as it was the sixth of Dettori's "Magnificent Seven": the 25-year-old Italian jockey won all seven races on the card including the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Mark of Esteem, driving several bookmakers to near financial ruin.[7]

Lochangel began her second season in the Listed Chartwell Fillies' Stakes over seven furlongs at Lingfield Park Racecourse on 10 May. Starting the 5/2 favourite she led for most of the way but tired and was overtaken in the final furlong, finishing third behind Supercal and Baked Alaska. The filly was off the course for four months before returning in an all-aged handicap race at Goodwood Racecourse on 13 September in which she finished a close fourth under top weight of 139 pounds.[8] Two weeks later she was stepped up in class for the Group Three Diadem Stakes at Ascot but finished unplaced behind Elnadim. On her only other appearance of the year she finished seventh of nine behind the five-year-old Bowden Rose in a handicap for fillies and mares at Newmarket Racecourse in October.

On her first appearance as a four-year-old Lochangel started favourite for a minor stakes event over five furlongs at Bath Racecourse on 28 April and finished second, two lengths behind the five-year-old gelding Speed On. At the same track two weeks later the filly contested the Listed Somerset Stakes and started favourite against eight opponents including Carranita (winner of the Summer Stakes and the Hopeful Stakes), Nadwah (Queen Mary Stakes) and Hever Golf Rose. Ridden by Martin Dwyer, she took the lead a quarter of a mile from the finish and drew away in the closing stages to record her first win for seventeen months, beating Desert Lady by three and a half lengths.[9] Frankie Dettori resumed his partnership with the filly when she was stepped up in class for the Temple Stakes at Sandown on 25 May. She took the lead a furlong out but was overtaken and beaten three quarters of a length by the six-year-old gelding Bolshoi, with Elnadim in third and Compton Place among the unplaced runners.

At Royal Ascot in June she was one nineteen sprinters to contest the King's Stand Stakes. She led for most of the way but was again caught by Bolshoi in the final strides and was beaten one and a quarter lengths by the winner. In the King George Stakes at Goodwood in July she started favourite but finished third behind Land of Dreams and Lady Alexander after being hampered inside the final furlong.[10]

On 20 August Lochangel, with Dettori in the saddle, contested the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes over five furlongs on firm groundat York Racecourse and started the 6/1 third choice in the betting behind Elnadim and Land of Dreams. Bolshoi was again in the field whilst the other runners included Arkadian Hero (Mill Reef Stakes), Sainte Marine (Prix du Gros Chêne), Bollin Joanne (Duke of York Stakes), My Best Valentine (Bentinck Stakes), Averti (King George Stakes, 1997), Rambling Bear (King George Stakes, 1996), Yorkies Boy (Palace House Stakes) and Almaty (Molecomb Stakes). The French challenger Sainte Marine went into the lead and set a strong pace with Lochangel among her closest pursuers. In the last quarter mile Dettori tracked to the right and Lochangel made her challenge along the stands-side rail. She overtook the French filly inside the final furlong and won by a length, with the outsiders Dashing Blue (also trined by Ian Balding), Bishops Court and Rambling Bear filling the next three places.[11] Her win was enthusiastically received by the York crowd, many of whom had backed the filly owing to Dettori's popularity. Asked to compare the winner to her older sister, Balding said "They're both super movers with devastating speed, but Lochangel is an awful lot easier to train. I adored Lochsong but she was half crazy".[12]

Lochangel was tried over six furlongs for the first time in almost a year when she started 9/2 second favourite for the Haydock Sprint Cup in September and finished sixth behind the three-year-old Tamarisk. On her final appearance of the year she was sent to France for the Prix de l'Abbaye over 1000 metres at Longchamp Racecourse in October. She finished sixth behind My Best Valentine after fading in the last 200 metres.

Lochangel remained in training in 1999 but failed to win in six starts. She produced her best performance on her seasonal debut when she finished second to Tipsy Creek in the Temple Stakes on 31 May. She then finished fourth in the King's Stand Stakes before running unplaced behind Stravinsky in the July Cup and the Nunthorpe Stakes. She was then sent to Ireland and dropped in class for the Flying Five at Leopardstown Racecourse in September and started favourite but finished third to Tedburrow. Lochangel made her final appearance later that month in the World Trophy (then a Listed race) at Newbury. She never looked likely to win and finished seventh of the thirteen runners behind Imperial Beauty.[13]

Her retirement was announced shortly after her run at Newbury. Balding said "She's been a wonderful mare for the stable, and had so much class and a lovely temperament. I actually think Lochangel has been desperately unlucky this season. She was badly drawn in the King's Stand Stakes, which I thought she had a great chance of winning, and since then the going has gone against her... Now I just hope she produces lots of lovely babies – and you can be sure they'll be coming to me!"[14]