win by two and a half lengths. Her win was enthusiastically received by the crowd and Sue Montgomery, writing in the Independent, was effusive, calling the performance "magnificent... poetry in motion". 1997: four-year-old season Early plans to run her in the Dubai World Cup were abandoned and Bosra Sham's 1997 debut came in Brigadier Gerard Stakes. Starting at odds of 1/5, she won the race, but had to be ridden out to beat Predappio by half a length. She was sent to Royal Ascot for the Prince of Wales's Stakes (then a Group Two race) in which she produced her best form, taking the lead two furlongs out and pulling away to win by eight lengths from Alhaarth in "very impressive" style. The performance was described by the Independent'''s Greg Wood as "breathtaking" and led Cecil to name her the best horse he had ever trained. In her final two races she was beaten as odds-on favourite. In the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown in July she finished third, beaten just over a length, behind the Breeders' Cup Turf winner Pilsudski and the Derby winner Benny the Dip. Her rider Kieren Fallon was criticised after the filly was boxed in and unable to find a clear run in the closing stages, and he was replaced by Pat Eddery for her next race on the instructions of her owner. Fallon himself referred to the race as the "Bosra Shambles". Bosra Sham's last race came a month later when she finished last of the four runners behind Singspiel in the International Stakes at York after reportedly losing a shoe during the race. Bosra Sham's feet were continuing to cause serious difficulties, and her retirement was announced in September. Henry Cecil's comments on the occasion emphasised the filly's ability and attitude, as well as the frustration which arose from her chronic problems. Race record Assessment At two, Bosra Sham was rated the third-best filly in Europe, with a rating of 114 on the International Classification. Bosra Sham was named the best filly of her generation at three and was the highest-rated horse in Europe and North America over a mile and a quarter in the 1996 International Classification. She was also the top-rated older filly or mare in Europe at four, when she was given a peak rating of 133 in June 1997. She was rated at 132 by Timeform. In their book A