Breeders’ Cup Filly And Mare Turf Next For Nashwa

Classic heroine Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) has exited her close second in the G1 Prix de l'Opera in good order and will travel to Keeneland in November to contest the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, according to owner Imad Al Sagar's racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe. Blue Diamond Stud's retained rider Hollie Doyle will ride the bay.

The Blue Diamond Stud homebred took the May 14 Listed Haras de Bouquetot Fillies' Trial S. and was third in the G1 Cazoo Oaks in early June. She gained her Classic laurel in Chantilly's G1 Prix de Diane on June 19 and added Goodwood's G1 Nassau S. for good measure on July 28. Nashwa led for the final furlongs of the l'Opera, before just getting pipped by the rallying Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) on Oct. 2.

“Nashwa worked this morning on the Limekilns with Hollie [Doyle, retained rider] and she worked nicely, so we're making plans to go to Keeneland,” said Grimthorpe. “She had that break after the Nassau [66 days] and we hope that will pay off at this time of year.

“Her races have been quite well spaced. She ran so well in the Prix de l'Opera and has come out of the race well and it is a nice progression to go to the Filly & Mare. The distance is nine and a half furlongs this year, a mile and 3/16ths, so that should suit.”

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Classic Deauville Debut For Blue Diamond Stud

Blue Diamond Stud is by no means a new name in the industry, and it has been in the news plenty this season courtesy of the dual Group 1 winner Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}), but where it has not been seen before is on the list of yearling consignors.

That changes this week with the stud's debut selling yearlings under its own banner at the Arqana August Sale. And as debuts go, it is a pretty dazzling one as the stud's owner Imad Al Sagar will be offering a sibling to his Classic heroine Nashwa. Indeed, Al Sagar can also be credited with having bred the filly's Group 1-winning sire Decorated Knight (GB) in partnership with Saleh Al Homaizi. The fact that the stallion who now stands at the Irish National Stud is by Galileo (Ire) makes the filly a three-parts-sister to Nashwa, and she will be first of the select draft to go under the hammer in Deauville as lot 93 on Saturday evening. 

It has been a year of significant changes at Blue Diamond Stud, which is comprised of two farms to the north and south of Newmarket. Ted Voute, a familiar figure on the sales circuit as a leading consignor for many years, and also a long-term advisor to a select group of owner-breeders, joined the team as chief executive officer.

“When Imad brought me on board at the beginning of the year, he said that one of the things that he wanted to develop was the commercial side of of the yearlings,” Voute explains. “He has made a big investment in the stud fees and is continuing to do so with the breeding plans of next year and an upgrade for for this year, whether [for mares] in foal or with foals at foot. And so I spent most of the spring showing the sales companies what we have in its entirety and we've come up with a plan to sell in Arqana, in the Premier Sale, and in [Tattersalls October] Books 1 and 2.”

Key to that new aspect of the operation has been the appointment of Gerry Meehan, widely acknowledged to be one of the best in the business at preparing yearlings for sale, and a former long-time employee at Newsells Park Stud, one of the leading vendors on the scene.

Voute says, “Gerry is a master of yearlings. He worked for Newsells for years and he has topped many sales and prepared many yearlings. He is an excellent person, so we went about headhunting him really. He runs the yearling farm and I think he's looking forward to bringing these three horses to Arqana. He's very on it and has great attention to detail. He knows exactly what he's doing and he's got a good team that he's assembled himself with the show people that he likes.”

There could hardly be a more eye-catching starting point for the Blue Diamond Stud yearling consignment than a close relation to a current Classic winner, and Voute says of Nashwa's sister, “We had her accepted in Book 1 at Tattersalls and Arqana, and the mother is in foal to Frankel, she's carrying a filly, which helped our decision.

“We're really excited. She's a lovely filly, very straightforward. We've got Nashwa, we've got the mother, so we thought we'd take a chance and roll the dice, and we thought it was very sensible thing to do commercially for the farm.”

The second and final member of the draft following one withdrawal will feature in Monday's session. Catalogued as lot 252, he is the only colt in the sale by Invincible Spirit (Ire) and the striking bay is out of the Listed Prix Petite Etoile winner Dawn Of Hope (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}). The nine-year-old mare's first foal, the 92-rated filly Kind Gesture (GB) (Decorated Knight {GB}), has won twice this year at the age of three in the colours of another owner-breeder, Prince A A Faisal. A full-brother to the yearling colt was sold last year at Tattersalls for 200,000gns to American agent Mike Ryan and, named Variable Cost (GB), he is currently on the work tab in Saratoga.

“Dawn Of Hope raced in France and was very successful. There's a French angle for each of the yearlings, and he'll be the only Invincible Spirit colt,” says Voute.

In the past, Blue Diamond's yearlings have been sold under different consignors, but Voute says that he felt it was time for the stud to take a new direction.

“I've always kept in contact with Imad ever since he sent Authorized to me as a foal and last year he said to me he was going to go down the commercial route,” he explains. “He's still going to race some of the horses and there'll be some families that are out of bounds, like the Pearling family, which is particularly dear to him.

“But I just feel with some of these really bespoke breeding operations that if they could showcase their own yearlings, especially when they are good breeders – and in the nick of time Nashwa comes up as a very current homebred – I think with these small-batch yearling drafts, you can do a really good job, and I think people really take notice.”

With Nashwa being primed for her own return trip to France for a potential run in the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Opera on Arc weekend following her twin triumphs in the G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Nassau S., there should be plenty of excitement still to come this season for the Blue Diamond Stud crew, which Voute has been happy to join.

He says, “It's like being part of a dream team. I couldn't have imagined it, but I got a call in January after I came back from holiday and Imad said 'would you come and help me out?' The first appointment we made was Teddy [Grimthorpe] for the racing, which has been a great success. He's one of the most knowledgeable racing managers that that we know in this country and Imad has bonded very closely with him very quickly. Obviously, we inherited Hollie [Doyle, first retained jockey], which was an inspired appointment a couple of years ago.”

He continues of the farm's broodmare manager Andrew Rawlin, “Andrew was already here. Andrew has been our hidden masterpiece, actually. He's a very knowledgeable guy. He's passionate with the horses and he's out 24 hours, seven days a week, looking at how these horses are raised.

“Obviously Nancy Sexton came on board as well as the bloodstock consultant who's doing all the PR side of things, pedigrees and mating advice, or information that we need. And it's great. I can't believe it all fell into place. We've got a great team, whether that means we're going to be successful with the yearlings or not, I don't know, but we've definitely got the people there.”

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Seven Days: A Coronation in Chantilly

Just when you thought a fully-charged Royal Ascot couldn't be topped, along came Hollie Doyle. 

The royal meeting was sadly missing The Queen for all five days this year but, France's republican tendencies aside, there are few in the racing world who would deny that Doyle is now the queen of Chantilly after reaching yet another milestone to become the first woman to ride a Group 1 Classic winner in Europe.

Her great triumph came aboard Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) for Imad Al Sagar, who was achieving an important landmark victory of his own with his first homebred Classic winner for his Blue Diamond Stud. It is now not even remarkable to see Doyle booked for top rides. She's so good at what she does, proving it day in and day out, from Group 1 showcase races to Class 6 handicaps, but there are not many of those top-class horses to go around.

For this observer, it was a punch-the-air moment when Doyle was announced as first jockey for Al Sagar three seasons ago. It felt important that a woman should be given a prominent retainership in the first place, and more symbolic that this offer was made by an Arab owner. It was an inspired and refreshing move on Al Sagar's part, and a thoroughly deserving position for Doyle. If she hadn't already, she has certainly repaid his faith in her now.

Doyle is five wins clear at the head of the jockeys' table for this calendar year. The nonsensical shortening of the jockeys' championship from the Guineas meeting to Champions Day means that a number of those 85 wins don't count, so she lies in fourth place in the 'championship', if we can call it that. Given the unwelcome publicity surrounding Oisin Murphy's behaviour and the conclusion to last year's jockeys' title, we could do with some better news in that regard, and one story that would guarantee more front-page, good-news headlines for racing would be the first female champion jockey. Doyle will get there one day, no doubt.

Al Sagar, as a breeder who has recently undertaken a significant restructuring of his two farms near Newmarket that comprise his Blue Diamond Stud operation, now finds himself in the happy position that his paddocks contain the dams of both female French Classic winners this season. As already noted in these pages, he bought Zotilla (Ire) (Zamindar), the dam of G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}), later in the year that her future Classic heroine was foaled. Nashwa's dam Princess Loulou (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) was bought as a yearling. 

Frankel's Classic Touch

Nashwa was of course only the second Group 1 winner of the week for her sire Frankel and trainers John and Thady Gosden, who also had last year's leading 2-year-old filly Inspiral (GB) primed to perfection for her return in the G1 Coronation S., which was arguably the race at Ascot with the greatest depth.

Her victory was vengeance for her dam Starscope (GB) (Selkirk), who had been second in both the Coronation and the 1,000 Guineas of 2012, and Inspiral, who was the fourth generation of her family to have been bred by Cheveley Park Stud, became their fourth Coronation S. winner after Exclusive (GB), Russian Rhythm and Nannina (GB). The Thompson family's operation also enjoyed some reflected glory at Ascot as the breeder of surprise Chesham S. winner Holloway Boy (GB) and Buckingham Palace S winner Inver Park (GB), whose victories would have been all the sweeter for the fact that they are by one of the stud's resident sires, Ulysses (Ire), and the late former star of the stallion yard, Pivotal (GB).

Frankel still has some way to go to peg back Dubawi (Ire) if he is to retain his champion sire title this year, but the season is not even halfway through yet. One of the notable absentees on the quick ground at Ascot was his daughter Homeless Songs (Ire), the sensational winner of the Irish 1,000 Guineas. An eventual clash with Inspiral would be a mouth-watering prospect but, even without the filly, Moyglare Stud's 60th anniversary year continued in fine style with victory in the Gold Cup for another homebred, Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the rising star of the staying ranks. Never was a mare better named than his dam Polished Gem (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who has produced three Group 1 winners among her eight stakes winners. 

Frankel also featured as the damsire of the G3 Jersey S. winner Noble Truth (Fr), who is a son of his stud mate Kingman (GB).  It was a second major international winner for the family in less than a month as Noble Truth was bred by Jean-Pierre-Joseph Dubois from Speralita (Fr), an unraced sister of the six-time Group/Grade 1 winner Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}), who took the Prix de Diane 13 years ago. As a broodmare Stacelita has plied her trade in Japan for Teruya Yoshida with great success, providing Frankel with his first Classic winner anywhere in the world when their daughter Soul Stirring (Jpn) won the GI Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks).

There has been further notable success for the Japanese wing of the family this season with Stars On Earth (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), who is a grand-daughter of Stacelita and won the GI Oka Sho (1,000 Guineas) on April 22 followed by the Yushun Himba on May 22. Her dam Southern Stars (Smart Strike) has a colt foal catalogued for the foal section of the JHRA Select Sale, which takes place on July 11 and 12.

Dubawi Wears the Crown

With five winners, including a one-two in the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. with Naval Crown (GB) and Creative Force (Ire), Dubawi owns all the bragging rights among the sires represented at Royal Ascot. In fact, he is presently lording it over all-comers in Europe by just about every metric with 24 stakes winners led by four individual Group 1 winners this year.

One of the latter, Coroebus (Ire), followed up his 2,000 Guineas victory with a G1 St James's Palace S. success, to cement a memorable opening day for the Maktoum family following the procession of the unbeaten Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Queen Anne S.

Dubawi's son New Bay (GB) also deserves plenty of plaudits with two group winners at the meeting. His daughter Saffron Beach (Ire) returned to the winner's enclosure in imperious fashion in the G2 Duke of Cambridge S., while her stable-mate Claymore (Ire) landed his first group-race strike in the G3 Hampton Court S. We'll be hearing more about their trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam's love of New Bay in Wednesday's TDN.

And let's not forget Dubawi's French-based son Zarak (Fr), who continues to make giant strides in the second-season sires' table. It has to be said that he looks the stand-out of this intake at this stage, with La Parisienne (Fr) going close to giving him a first-crop Classic winner in the Prix de Diane when running Nashwa to a neck. 

Admittedly Churchill was first off the mark in that regard with the very impressive Prix du Jockey Club winner Vadeni (Fr), and it was exciting to hear that this Aga Khan-bred colt is under consideration to be supplemented for the G1 Coral-Eclipse next month. But Zarak leads the way with five black-type winners, which equates to 11 per cent of his runners, and he also had Times Square (Fr) placed in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches.

On With The Show

The sole appearance of Showcasing (GB) at Royal Ascot ended in ignominious defeat when he trailed in last of the 24 runners for the G1 Golden Jubilee S. But he has fared much better as a sire, notably with two G1 Commonwealth Cup winners in Quiet Reflection (GB) and Advertise (GB), while Soldier's Call (GB) won the Windsor Castle S. of 2018, and Tasleet (GB) and Cappella Sansevero (GB) finished runner-up in the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. and G2 Coventry S. respectively.

Showcasing was represented again this year by the smart G2 Queen Mary S. winner Dramatised (Ire), who provided a first major homebred success for Steve Parkin's Branton Court Stud. By that stage, the aforementioned Shadwell stallion Tasleet, whose first crop are now juveniles, was given a major boost by the G2 Coventry S. win of his son Bradsell (GB), who was sold as a breezer by Mark Grant to Tom Biggs and Archie Watson for £47,000, and presumably for many multiples of that after scorching to his nine-length maiden win on York's Knavesmire exactly a month after his appearance at Goffs UK.

Bradsell, bred by Deborah O'Brien, was one of two runners at Royal Ascot for the Bahrain-based Victorious Racing, the other being the Windsor Castle S. runner-up Rocket Rodney (GB) (Dandy Man {Ire}). He too had been purchased after an impressive novice win, this time at Goodwood for George Scott.

Whitsbury Manor Stud, which has stood Showcasing for his entire 12-season stud career to date, will have taken plenty of encouragement from the results of the royal meeting. Not only did they breed Tasleet before selling him to Sheikh Hamdan, but another of their own young sires featured prominently among the juvenile races. 

Havana Grey (GB) is currently romping away with 18 winners from his first crop and is seven clear of his nearest pursuer in that category, Sioux Nation. Though he is yet to join Tasleet and James Garfield (Ire) with a stakes winner, Havana Grey does have four black-type horses to his name, with Maylandsea (GB) having finished second in Queen Mary and Eddie's Boy (GB) third in the Windsor Castle.

There was further success for Showcasing at Chantilly on Sunday where Nurlan Bizakov's Sumbe homebred Belbek (Fr) landed the G3 Prix du Bois.

An Ascot for Everyone

As much as Royal Ascot represents some of the elite of European racing, the addition of handicaps in the first year of Covid has increased the potential for participation for owners and trainers, and the results reflected a broad spectrum of yards of all sizes.

George Boughey has been the up-and-coming name for the last couple of seasons and, with a Classic winner under his belt, he can now be considered to have truly arrived. His string is far from small on Newmarket Heath these days and he once again illustrated how adept he is in getting a great tune out of horses bought in training, usually in tandem with his great friend and ally Sam Haggas of Hurworth Bloodstock. Together they bought the Golden Gates H. winner Missed The Cut (Quality Road) for 40,000gns in February and, now with three wins from four runs under his belt, the 3-year-old looks a promising individual who had been an expensive foal purchase for Shadwell in America. 

Similar comments apply to Inver Park (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who was already a decent dual winner for Mick Quinn when sold last October at Goffs UK for £35,000. He too has found a winning groove this spring, with his Buckingham Palace S. win being his third on the bounce. 

While Hollie Doyle is usually riding against her husband Tom Marquand, Hayley Turner is in the more agreeable position of riding for her partner Harry Eustace, the second-season trainer who bagged a Royal Ascot winner with his first ever runner at the meeting. Hopefully the much celebrated success of Latin Lover (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) in the Palace of Holyroodhouse H. will put Eustace's name on the radar of more owners as he is currently enjoying a fantastic season on a strike-rate of 24 per cent winners to runners. 

It's true then. The louder you shout the faster they run. Latin Lover wins the last at Ascot on Day 4. #scenes pic.twitter.com/6bCiDsj3wj

— Harry Eustace (@H_Eustace) June 18, 2022

Huge credit must also go to Dave Evans for brining Rohaan (GB) (Mayson {GB}) back to Ascot in great shape to claim his second successive Wokingham S.

It was pleasing to hear the 4-year-old's co-owner Chris Kiely get his priorities right when saying after the race, “I've had two kids and got married, but this is the best moment of my life.” Let's just hope his wife and children weren't listening in.

Jane Chapple-Hyam put all her fellow trainers in the shade, however, when bringing three horses to the royal meeting and waltzing home with two group wins and a runner-up in the Royal Hunt Cup. As already mentioned, we will be reflecting more on the success of her Abington Place stable tomorrow.

A Royal Nod For Tattersalls

There's always plenty to take in during Ascot week so you may have missed the announcement of a small adjustment to the Tattersalls December Mare Sale. The four-day auction which follows hard on the heels of a day of yearlings and four days of foal sales at Park Paddocks will now feature a specifically labelled 'Sceptre Session' which takes its name from the star filly of the early 1900s and a former Tattersalls sale record-breaker.

To a degree, the Tuesday evening of the mare sale, when this select session of high-class broodmares and breeding prospects is set to take place, is already one of the high points in the sales calendar when it comes to drama. Quite frankly, if you're a bloodstock aficionado and you weren't playing your part in the mass game of Sardines in the Tatts ring when the likes of Dancing Rain (Ire) and Marsha (Ire) sold for millions, then where were you? 

Having up to 75 of the highest-profile offerings clearly labelled in one select session within a session makes a lot of sense, though it will make for an even more fraught couple of hours than usual for the weary bloodstock journalists on the hunt for quotes. A timely reminder to start getting into training for the sales season.

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Epsom Beckons Once More For Al Sagar

It is 15 years since Authorized (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) streaked down the hill at Epsom to give Frankie Dettori his first win in the Derby. For the colt's owners Imad Al Sagar and Saleh Al Homaizi it was also a first Derby victory, but it was their second Classic winner in as many years as Araafa (Ire) (Mull Of Kintyre {Ire})) had landed the previous season's Irish 2,000 Guineas before going on to win the St James's Palace S.

Such success at the highest level for the duo who had previously been champion owners in their native Kuwait then kindled an interest in breeding which led to the purchase of two farms on the outskirts of Newmarket. Together they would become known as Blue Diamond Stud.

Now solely under the ownership of Imad Al Sagar, the stud is a thriving concern, with 40 broodmares in its paddocks and more than 20 horses in training in Britain, predominantly homebreds, with John and Thady Gosden, Roger Varian, Clive Cox, Roger Charlton, Archie Watson, and Andrew Balding. The fruits of the Blue Diamond team's labours, in the paddocks and at the sales grounds over the years, are being enjoyed especially this season, most notably in the prospect of another Classic contender, this time in the Oaks.

Nashwa (GB), a daughter of Frankel (GB) and the former Blue Diamond Stud colour-bearer Princess Loulou (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), trained by John and Thady Gosden, was this week confirmed as being on course for Epsom. This followed some deliberation between remaining in England or heading to France for the shorter option of the Prix de Diane.

“Winning the Derby was incredibly special,” says Al Sagar. “It was a dream come true and it is a very exciting time now, with history repeating itself in a way, to be able to go to Epsom with another Classic contender.”

The breeder admits that choosing between Epsom and Chantilly was not easy, particularly as Nashwa's own stable contains the current Oaks favourite Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). But Nashwa, whose dam, purchased as a yearling by Tony Nerses, won a 10-furlong Listed contest in testing conditions and was runner-up in the G1 Prix Jean Romanet, has given Al Sagar cause for optimism.  Her most recent win, and her second of the year, came over 10 furlongs in the Listed Haras de Bouquetot Fillies' Trial at Newbury, and he points to another facet of the filly which may help her in the Oaks.

He says, “She is improving and the progress she has made from two to three is enormous. Especially in the the last two months she has really flourished. She has become a lot stronger physically and mentally.

“We agreed to have an open mind; it was a difficult decision. Nashwa has not yet run over a mile and a half. The filly has abundant speed as she showed over a mile at Haydock. But pedigree-wise, I know the family, and Frankel throws horses who compete over all kinds of distances. She is the type of filly who relaxes very well. She has a great temperament and she switches off in her races.”

Al Sagar adds, “We are not sure, of course. But she's laidback and also she has a very good turn of foot, so these things I think will help her to get a mile and a half.

“It is a nice problem to have. I hope all our problems are like this.”

Thus far it has been a season with problems mostly far from his mind. In some ways, Al Sagar has already celebrated a Classic winner, even if it was at a slight remove. Back in 2019 at Arqana he bought Zotilla (Ire) from Ecurie des Monceaux for €75,000. Her Dark Angel (Ire) filly foal born earlier that year was subsequently retained by Monceaux and its partners after failing to reach her reserve at the yearling sales, and last Sunday, as Mangoustine (Fr), she won the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches.

“I bought Mangoustine's dam Zotilla and Manasarova, the dam of Sicilian Defense (GB) on the same day and then both of them had runners in the French Guineas,” he notes. “Sicilian Defense actually ran a very good race when she was short of room.”

Blue Diamond Stud is also home to the well-related Tisa River (Ire) (Equiano {Fr}), purchased in 2020 when her family had come to life through her consecutive Breeders' Cup-winning half-siblings Iridessa (Ire) (Ruler Of The World {Ire}) and Order Of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}). The pedigree was subsequently enhanced by another sibling, Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), the winner last season of the GI Belmont Oaks and GI Beverly D S. 

Tisa River is currently in foal to Frankel, as is Princess Loulou, carrying a full-sibling to Nashwa. Meanwhile Zotilla is in foal to Dubawi (Ire) with a Too Darn Hot (GB) filly foal at foot.

Queen of the paddocks, however, is Pearling (Storm Cat), the sister to Giant's Causeway and Coolmore blue hen You'resothrilling. She gave Blue Diamond Stud its first homebred Group 1 winner when her son Decorated Knight (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) won the Jebel Hatta at Meydan and then followed up with victories in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and Irish Champion S. for Roger Charlton during a glorious 2017 season.

Decorated Knight, a close relative to the high-achieving Classic family of Gleneagles (Ire), Marvellous (Ire) and Happily (Ire), is now a resident of the Irish National Stud and has been well supported by his co-owner/breeder.

Al Sagar may yet also have an interest of sorts in this year's Derby field, as still engaged at this stage is Masekela (Ire), whom he pinhooked as a foal after he had admired Masekela's sire El Kabeir at Yeomanstown Stud. The pinhook project just about broke even, but more important was the vindication in Al Sagar's judgement when Masekela won on debut, finished runner-up in the G2 Superlative S.–beaten a short-head by Native Trail (GB), no less–and then subsequently landed the Listed Denford S. for Andrew Balding and owners Mick and Janice Mariscotti.

Al Sagar's main focus, however, is on his burgeoning breeding operation. At the end of 2018 he and Al Homaizi went their separate ways, with much of the stock being offered at auction to dissolve their partnership. Al Sagar bought back a number of the mares, including Pearling, and earlier this year he announced a major restructuring of the Blue Diamond Stud team. Lord Grimthorpe was appointed as racing manager, with Ted Voute becoming chief executive officer, Gerry Meehan announced as yearling manager and Nancy Sexton as bloodstock and media advisor.

“I think Blue Diamond deserved the time and investment and I decided that restructuring was very important for the future of the stud,” he says. “I am very much comfortable with my team and we have started to see very positive results on the ground which I hope will help us to achieve our future goals.”

Al Sagar visits the Newmarket farms, spread across 330 acres, as often as he can from his home in Kuwait, and he likes to be hands-on when it comes to matings.

“I very much enjoy it, especially over the last six or seven years,” he says. “When we first started breeding horses in 2007 we made many mistakes, but I am happy we did it because we learned a lot from it and now we can see things are moving forward with the progeny. With breeding you don't know what you will get, so now our strategy is to upgrade the quality of mares. Broodmares are the foundation for any farm and our strategy is to improve the quality and to have a wide spectrum of bloodlines, such as Scat Daddy, what is remaining of the Roberto line, Blushing Groom line. It is these things that we are focusing on to improve our progeny.”

The owner took some by surprise when announcing Hollie Doyle as his retained jockey in 2020. She remains in that position, with Martin Dwyer as second jockey. The arrangement has already been a successful one, with Doyle having ridden not just Nashwa, but also Nazanin (GB), Majestic Noor (GB) and Extra Elusive (GB) to stakes victories in the green and silver silks of Blue Diamond Stud.

“Things have changed,” says Al Sagar on the topic of retaining a woman as principal rider. “It wasn't an easy decision, but in my opinion Hollie ticks all the boxes as a jockey. I do believe that the gender shouldn't be an obstacle to being a good jockey. Hollie has the brain, has the strength, has the courage, and this is what you need in a jockey. This is now the third year and we are extremely happy.”

Should Doyle become the first woman to ride a British Classic winner when she partners Nashwa in the Oaks, it would doubtless be a moment in which horseracing makes the front pages of the national newspapers for all the right reasons. It would not only be a well deserved success for one of the outstanding jockeys of her generation, but also for the man who has invested passion and thought along with considerable financial reserves into breeding a filly worthy of her place in the field. 

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