It is the turn of the fillies and mares on Thursday, with the G1 Qatar Nassau S. headlining a fascinating third day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival. It features a clash between two fillies whose limits are far from set at present, with Shadwell’s Nazeef (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) taking on the year-younger Fancy Blue (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). The former steps up from a mile for the first time, having captured the G2 Duke of Cambridge S. at Royal Ascot June 16 and G1 Falmouth S. at Newmarket July 10 in the manner of a filly that will improve for a step up to this 10-furlong trip. Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s racing manager Angus Gold said, “She’s been an absolute star this year–it’s lovely to see her not only fulfil the potential, but exceed what we hoped. We were hoping to make her a stakes winner and it’s been a real thrill. Stepping up in trip now will be interesting, but everyone who has ridden her has always felt she would get it. Obviously you never know for sure until they try, but I’m very hopeful she will stay it–the way she has always finished off her races.”
Fancy Blue was runner-up to Peaceful (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh June 13 prior to outbattling Alpine Star (Ire) (Sea the Moon {Ger}) and that rival in Chantilly’s G1 Prix de Diane over 10 1/2 furlongs July 5. While there were four fillies involved in a blanket finish to that Classic, it looked every bit a top-class renewal and trainer Donnacha O’Brien is in accord. “In a tight finish between four horses you can usually mark it down a bit, but they were definitely the right horses involved that day and they pulled clear of the rest of the field, so it looks like very strong form,” he said. “Fancy Blue is very genuine, tries hard and takes her work well,” he added. “She’s a very uncomplicated and talented filly who relaxes and is able to quicken. She gets a mile and a quarter very well and is closely related to High Chaparral, so there’s plenty of stamina in her pedigree and she will probably get a mile and a half in time. There are a great bunch of fillies around at the moment,” Donnacha added. “Among the 3-year-olds you have Love, who looks special, and then of course you’ve got Enable and Magical and a few of the those turning up at Goodwood this week, including ours.”
Last year’s winner Deirdre (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) comes back with identical race conditions to suit, but possibly faces tougher opposition and has to reverse the form of the G1 Eclipse S. with the similarly-accomplished international mare Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), having finished 1 1/4 lengths behind that Ballydoyle rival when fifth in the July 5 Sandown feature. Oisin Murphy is again on board and commented, “I think she has improved since her last race and August is always her favourite season. We tried the Eclipse, because Sandown has a long straight and with the COVID situation it has been a little bit tricky to train the horses. We found there that she might struggle with the uphill, now we are heading to the Nassau S. with the long straight and flat course. We understand the great importance of the race, we have seen Midday win three times and we are the only horse to have a chance to win twice in a row.”
Aidan O’Brien has booked Frankie Dettori for Magic Wand, who was electric when taking the Curragh’s G2 Lanwades Stud S., or Ridgewood Pearl, over a mile June 13. “She’s a lovely filly who takes everything in her stride and this looks a nice race for her in the middle of the summer,” the Ballydoyle handler said. “She’s very straightforward and we’re very happy with her.”
Earlier on the card, the G2 Qatar Richmond S. and G2 John Pearce Racing Gordon S. provide ideal build-up to the main event with the Gordon seeing the first post-Derby run of Bjorn Nielsen’s English King (GB) (Camelot {GB}). A lot went against the Ed Walker trainee when fifth in Epsom’s July 4 blue riband, but his ability to handle difficult terrain is well and truly proven having won the June 5 Listed Lingfield Derby Trial and he has quickening ground conditions to aid his cause further. “He’s in great form. The ground should suit, he should handle the track and he hasn’t missed a beat since Epsom,” Walker said. “We will see how it goes at Goodwood, but we would be hoping to go for something like the [G1] Grand Prix de Paris. It is shaping into a great race, but everything seems to be this year because it has all been condensed. Hopefully he can prove to us he deserves to take on the best, but we will certainly learn a bit more this week.”
Re-opposing English King is Ahmad Al Shaikh’s Khalifa Sat (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}), who was closest to Epsom’s runaway winner Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) when 5 1/2 lengths adrift and he has course form having won the Listed Cocked Hat S. over 11 furlongs June 14. “The course and the drying ground should suit him and all being well, a reproduction of his Epsom form should give him every chance,” trainer Andrew Balding said. Also coming back from the Derby is ‘TDN Rising Star’ Mogul (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was sixth behind his ebullient stablemate with Ryan Moore picking him. Aidan O’Brien said, “He seems to have come out of the Derby well and we’ve been very happy with him since. He’s a big, strong, powerful horse who is made like a miler and he’s not the easiest to get fit. He carries weight and we’re just trying to get it off him. We think racing is going to bring out the best in him. We think he gets a mile and a half, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we have to go back in trip.”
In the Richmond, Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum’s Yazaman (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) is for once without The Queen’s Tactical (GB) (Toronado {Ire}) for company and looks for compensation for two runner-up efforts behind that peer in the five-furlong Listed Windsor Castle S. June 17 and G2 July S. over this six-furlong trip at Newmarket July 9. Fourth in the July was Shadwell’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Qaader (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}), who had previously finished runner-up in Royal Ascot’s G2 Coventry S. June 20 when another TDN Rising Star Admiral Nelson (GB) (Kingman {GB}) was only eighth as the 5-2 favourite.
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