Sunspangled

On her racecourse debut, Sunspangled was one of eleven fillies to contest a seven-furlong maiden race at Galway Races and started at odds of 13/2. Ridden by Christy Roche, she was settled in seventh place before moving into second place on the final turn. She overtook the Jim Bolger-trained favourite St Clair Ridge in the closing stages and won by a neck with Institutrice half a length away in third.[7] The filly was then moved up in class for the Listed Debutante Stakes at Leopardstown Racecourse on 23 August. Starting the 9/4 second favourite, she took the lead in the straight but was overtaken a furlong out and beaten one and a half lengths by the John Oxx-trained Edabiya. Richard Hughes took over from Roche when Sunspangled stepped up in class again for the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh two weeks later. She briefly took the lead in the last quarter mile but was outpaced in the closing stages and finished fifth behind Edabiya, Fear And Greed, Crystal Downs, and Wannabe Grand.

For her final race of the year, Sunspangled was sent to England for the Group One Fillies' Mile on soft ground at Ascot Racecourse on 27 September. Edabiya started favourite ahead of the May Hill Stakes winner Calando and the highly regarded maiden winner Alabaq with Sunspangled the 9/1 fourth choice in an eight-runner field which also included the Prestige Stakes runner-up Choirgirl. She was ridden for the first time by Mick Kinane, who partnered her in all her subsequent races. She was restrained by Kinane in the early stages as Choirgirl set the pace, before moving into contention approaching the final turn. Ebadiya took the lead in the straight, but Sunspangled stayed on strongly under pressure to take the lead inside the final furlong and held off a late challenge from Calando to win by a neck with the favourite a short head away in third. The first three finished nine lengths clear of Alabaq in fourth place.[8] Kinane commented, "The plan was to be a bit more patient and she showed she is a good filly who will stay. She should improve physically and she has the temperament to carry her through".[9]

On her first appearance as a three-year-old, Sunspangled was sent to Newmarket Racecourse for the 186th running of the 1000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile on 2 May. Despite not having a trial race,[10] she started the 7/1 third favourite behind Wince and the French-trained Moiava but was never in serious contention and finished fifteenth of the twenty-two runners. In the Irish 1,000 Guineas three weeks later, she briefly reached third place in the straight before fading into seventh behind Hula Angel. For her next three races, Sunspangled was moved up in distance to compete one and a half miles, with mixed results. In The Oaks on 4 June, she finished sixth behind the Henry Cecil-trained Ramruma (O'Brien felt that she did not cope with the undulating track)[11] but in July she was second to the same filly in the Irish Oaks at the Curragh.[12] She was unable to trouble Ramruma in the Yorkshire Oaks in August and finished tenth of the eleven runners. On her final appearance, Sunspangled was matched against male opposition in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown Racecourse. She started a 40/1 outsider and finished last of the seven runners behind Daylami.