Tag Archive for: Nashwa

Hollie Doyle pays tribute as Nashwa bows out

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Hollie Doyle hailed Nashwa as the horse who took her career to new heights upon news of the five-year-old’s retirement.

Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Nashwa is owned by Imad Al Sagar, who employs Doyle as his retained rider.

That meant Doyle was on board for all of Nashwa’s 18 career outings, which included three Group One wins in the Prix de Diane, Nassau Stakes and Falmouth Stakes.

Unfortunately for her connections Nashwa failed to recover her best form this year following a trip to Dubai in the spring, but she retires healthy and Doyle will forever be grateful that she came along when she did.

Hollie Doyle on Nashwa after winning the Falmouth Stakes
Hollie Doyle on Nashwa after winning the Falmouth Stakes (David Davies/PA)

“She came along at a pivotal time in my career and she has been a star for the stud, Imad and myself,” said Doyle.

“She took my career to new heights and I’ll be forever thankful to her for that and I thank Imad for the opportunity.

“It was all just perfect timing. I remember riding her first time out at Newmarket. I’d got off to a really good start in the job and even though she didn’t win first time I got off and I was so excited, I could just tell she was going to be special.

“She doesn’t owe anyone anything and I’m glad that she’s going out perfectly sound.”

The progress Nashwa made from winning her first race at the end of April in 2022 to winning the Nassau Stakes that July was startling, once it was clear she did not stay a mile and a half in the Oaks.

While she did win three Group Ones, statistically her best performance came when a close third in the Juddmonte International against stablemate Mostahdaf and Paddington.

“Her most taking performance was when she won the Falmouth by five lengths but I suppose people could say it wasn’t that strong a renewal,” said Doyle.

“My favourite memory, though, is winning the French Oaks. She was absolutely class that day and she had to be really tough.

“The gap between our Oaks and the French wasn’t even three weeks but it was always the plan that if she didn’t stay at Epsom we’d go to France.

“Going into Epsom I just felt so alive because I was heading into a British Classic with a genuine chance. The doubt about the trip was always there but when we were coming around Tattenham Corner I was beginning to think we were going to win.

“Unfortunately, when we got to a furlong out I knew the stamina wasn’t there but I was already thinking that coming back to 10 furlongs she would take some beating.”



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‘Superstar’ Nashwa has likely run her last race

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Nashwa, a three-time Group One winner for John and Thady Gosden and owner Imad Al Sagar, has more than likely run her last race.

Since failing to stay the trip in the 2022 Oaks when third behind Tuesday, she has proved herself top class over a mile and 10 furlongs.

She was a Classic winner in France in the Prix de Diane, and added the Nassau Stakes on her next outing at Goodwood.

Nashwa finished her three-year-old career when getting going too late at the Breeders’ Cup, again behind Tuesday.

Arguably Nashwa's best run came in defeat when third to Mostahdaf in the Juddmonte International last year
Arguably Nashwa’s best run came in defeat when third to Mostahdaf in the Juddmonte International last year (Mike Egerton/PA)

Her four-year-old season started in inauspicious fashion with odds-on defeats in France and at Newcastle, but dropped down to a mile for the Falmouth Stakes, she bolted up by five lengths.

That was to be her final win but she earned more black type in the Nassau, Juddmonte International and Irish Champion Stakes.

The daughter of Frankel began the campaign in Dubai and while she ultimately was not beaten far in the Dubai Turf, the trip took its toll and she did not run again until the Sun Chariot, when failing to get involved and she was last of 11 in the Champion Stakes on Saturday.

She was ridden in all 18 of her races by Hollie Doyle.

“Nashwa, I think she’s going to come back, now,” said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for her owner.

“Really it was a very sporting of Imad to keep her in training this year, but it was just unfortunate the way things went in Dubai.

“After that we were always on the back foot with her this year and it just didn’t work out, unfortunately.

“There are not many triple Group One-winning Frankel fillies around, she’s been a superstar for the stud, really important.”



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Nashwa team considering targets after Newmarket return

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Options remain fluid for Nashwa following her return to action in Saturday’s Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained five-year-old was a Classic winner in France at three and also tasted Group One success last season, but was having her first run for 189 days – and first outing on home soil of the year – when trailing home fifth of six on the Rowley Mile.

However, that spin is expected to blow away the cobwebs with connections now considering their next move.

She holds entries for both the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot later this month, but the daughter of Frankel could venture further afield with the Bahrain International Trophy and a trip to Hong Kong both possibilities later in the year.

“She needed the run and she hadn’t run since March. She’s a big, scopey, rangy filly and really needed it,” said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for owner Imad Al Sagar.

“We will see how she is and the whole idea was to see how she went and then try to make a plan that makes sense.

“She’s in a number of races. Champions Day is a consideration, I wouldn’t put the Breeders’ Cup on the agenda, but she is in Bahrain as an option and we might look at Hong Kong at the end of the year.

“I think the most important thing now is she progresses and goes the right way because she is a hugely important filly for the stud as well, which is always in the back of our minds.”



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Menuisier Keane on Tamfana Chariot chance

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David Menuisier’s Tamfana will be ridden by a new jockey when she bids to edge out the Gosden-trained duo of Inspiral and Nashwa in Saturday’s Virgin Bet Sun Chariot Stakes.

The three-year-old has held her own all season for owners Quantum Leap Racing, finishing fourth when beaten only a length in the 1000 Guineas and then missing out by an even smaller margin when third in the Prix de Diane.

A step up in trip for the Grand Prix de Paris proved educational as she did not appear to stay, but when dropped back to a mile for Sandown’s Atalanta Stakes, she got her head in front to claim the Group Three in good style.

She will now return to Group One level at Newmarket, this time with a new pilot on board as Oisin Murphy is committed to ride See The Fire for Andrew Balding, leaving four-time Irish champion Colin Keane to deputise in his absence.

“It’s one of the busiest weekends of the year so it’s very difficult to replace a jockey like Oisin at the last minute,” said Menuisier.

“When you’re favourite or fancied in a Group One, you want all the positives on your side.

“There weren’t many top, top, top jockeys available and I’m extremely grateful that Colin decided to come and ride the filly rather than go to the Curragh on Saturday. Luckily she is pretty straightforward so it should be absolutely fine.”

He added: “The Sun Chariot looks a good opportunity for her.

“She’s had a good prep for it, with plenty of time to recuperate between her races, and she ran probably her best race of the season over the course and distance in the Guineas, so it makes perfect sense to go back to the scene of the crime. She goes on any ground, so soft going won’t be any problem for her.”

John and Thady Gosden have two of the most prolific mares in training in Inspiral and Nashwa and will pit them against one another for the first time at the weekend.

John and Thady Gosden's Inspiral
John and Thady Gosden’s Inspiral (Tim Goode/PA)

Inspiral will be ridden by Robert Havlin for the first time since her winning career debut in 2021 having predominantly been the mount of Frankie Dettori in past seasons.

“We wouldn’t want any more rain between now and then, but Newmarket does dry really quick,” he said of the four-time Group One winner and reigning Sun Chariot heroine.

“Her preferred surface is fast ground, she obviously loves fast ground, but she’s coped with a bit slower in previous occasions.

“I led her on a racecourse gallop and Ryan (Moore) was really happy with her, I was happy with the way she quickened away from me and she’d done a nice piece of work the other morning.

“Hopefully the signs are there (for another big run), she’s had plausible excuses for the season so we are hoping we have got her somewhere back to her best.”

Nashwa winning the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood in 2022
Nashwa winning the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood in 2022 (Steven Paston/PA)

Nashwa is the other Clarehaven star to line up for the team and makes a return to action in the race having last been seen at Meydan in March.

She will be ridden as always by Hollie Doyle, who has to forfeit another regular ride to be present and leave James Doyle to team up with Trueshan in ParisLongchamp for the Prix du Cadran.

“It’s been a blow having Nashwa out of action for most of the season and her return has been a long time coming, but these things happen and it’s just great that the team have got her back on track for the Sun Chariot,” she said of Nashwa, who bids for a fourth Group One.

“I’ve only sat on her once since Dubai and that was last week, when she felt great. She’s a filly who in the past has taken a few runs to come to herself, but I was pleased with her and whatever happens here we hopefully have Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot to look forward to in two weeks’ time.”

She added: “It’s just such a shame my two superstars are running at different tracks on the same day, but I can’t be in two places at once. When I missed Trueshan in the Cadran three years ago it was through suspension and James won on him. That was a heartbreaking day, but I can’t complain too much this time.

“I’ll be watching him from Newmarket of course and wishing him well. He’s been such a star for Alan (King) and all of us who have been lucky enough to be connected with him.”

Elmalka and Silvestre de Sousa after winning the 1000 Guineas
Elmalka and Silvestre de Sousa after winning the 1000 Guineas (David Davies/PA)

Roger Varian’s Elmalka, the winner of the 1000 Guineas over course and distance in May, is the mount of William Buick and drops back to the mile after finishing fourth in the Nassau over 10 furlongs when last seen.

“Elmalka is in good form and we are looking forward to seeing her back over a mile on Saturday,” said Varian.

“The Guineas form worked out and in fairness to her she hasn’t done much wrong since, as she ran well at Royal Ascot in the Coronation Stakes (fourth) and she ran well again at Goodwood in the Nassau. Both times were on fast ground and I think she’ll be more comfortable getting her toe in at Newmarket.”

Karl Burke’s Darnation completes the six-strong field.



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Nashwa stepping up a gear as comeback nears

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Nashwa is on the comeback trail but connections feel it is too early to pinpoint any specific targets for John and Thady Gosden’s high-class mare.

The five-year-old enjoyed a superb Classic campaign in 2022, finishing third in the Oaks at Epsom before winning the French equivalent and following up with a Nassau Stakes success.

Last season she added a Falmouth Stakes triumph to her CV, as well as finishing second in the Juddmonte International and a close third in the Irish Champion Stakes.

The Boodles July Festival 2023 – Festival Friday – Newmarket Racecourse
Nashwa and Hollie Doyle winning the Falmouth Stakes (David Davies/PA).

However, Nashwa has not been seen in public since competing in the Dubai Turf at Meydan back in March, where she was ninth behind Facteur Cheval.

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Imad Al Sagar, said: “She’s in full work at the moment and moving nicely, but we’re not quite there yet with a plan, or even an objective.

“She’s in good form but because she took some time to get over her trip to Dubai, and we gave her that time, obviously John has been mindful of trying to bring her on incrementally.

“She’s a big, scopey filly and obviously getting her back to match fitness is the first main objective and then, of course, trying to identify the right target and getting the right lead in.

“But we haven’t quite got there yet and it’s just too early to say.

“She only really started working last week, but we were always mindful of an autumn campaign and things like the Prix de l’Opera and British Champions Day are still very much part of the thinking.

“But we just have to get her further on so we’re confident to say ‘yes, that’s where we’d like to head’ but there’s certainly nothing definitive yet.

“She’s an incredibly important filly for Imad and she’s already a three-time Group One winner and a Classic winner – and by Frankel, so she’d be important to anybody, to say the least.

“She’s going to be very important to the stud and from that point of view, we just have to play her as we find her.”



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Nashwa could make return to the track in the autumn

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Imad Al Sagar’s star mare Nashwa is closing in on a possible autumn return to the racecourse.

The five-year-old is owned and was bred by Al Sagar’s Blue Diamond Stud and has flown the flag for the operation at the highest level over the past few seasons.

Trained by John and Thady Gosden in Newmarket, as a three-year-old Nashwa was third in the Oaks before being stepped down in trip to win the Prix de Diane and the Nassau Stakes ahead of valiant placings in the Prix de l’Opera and the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

As a four-year-old she won only once when taking the Falmouth Stakes, but the campaign was still highly successful as she ran superb races against the colts in both the Juddmonte International and the Irish Champion Stakes to finish second and third respectively.

Earlier this year she was aimed at the Dubai Turf at Meydan’s key March meeting, where she was ninth of 16 starters when competing at Group One level over a mile and a furlong.

Nashwa has not run since but has remained in training with the Gosdens and has been faring well in her work following a quiet spell after her journey to the Middle East.

“She’s in good form, she’s cantering and she’s progressing,” said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Al Sagar.

“It took her longer to get over Dubai than we expected, we gave her the time and gave her a little break.

“She’s always been at John’s, she’s just beginning to move forward a little bit now.

“There’s no immediate target, we’ll just have to wait and see how she does, but she’s in good form and she seems very happy at the moment.

“We’ll look at a mile and at 10 furlongs, that would probably include the Opera or Sun Chariot as possible targets, but the main thing is that we’ve got to see how she is – she might be ready earlier or she might need a little bit more time.

“She hasn’t done any serious work, when that starts up we’ll see how she is and take it from there.”



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York and Newbury under consideration for Nashwa next

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The Middleton Stakes at York and the Lockinge at Newbury are among the races likely to come under consideration for Nashwa following her creditable comeback run in Dubai last weekend.

John and Thady Gosden’s filly has struck gold three times in Group One company, landing the French Oaks and the Nassau Stakes in 2022 before adding the Falmouth Stakes to her CV last summer.

She was also placed against the colts in both the Juddmonte International and the Irish Champion Stakes last season and headed for the Middle East to make her five-year-old debut on Dubai World Cup night.

Drawn widest of all at Meydan in stall 16, Nashwa managed to get into a prominent early position in the Dubai Turf and was not beaten far in the end – and connections are taking the positives out of her performance.

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for owner-breeder Imad Alsagar, said: “Her chance was certainly compromised by the draw, but it is what it is. She’s run a super race and got a great ride and everything pretty much went to plan.

“She just had to use herself up a little too much, but she was beaten just over four lengths, so overall we were very encouraged really.

“We’d hope she’ll improve, as she did last season. She’s due back tomorrow and we’ll see how she is, but I think we’ll probably look at the mile, mile and a quarter races.”

Nashwa is entered in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Middleton Fillies’ Stakes at York on May 16 and the Al Shaqab Lockinge at Newbury two days later. The daughter of Frankel appears likely to contest one or the other on her next appearance.

“Of course, it depends how she comes out of the race. She recovered fine, but we’ll see how she takes the trip home etc, and then we’ll make a plan,” Grimthorpe added

“She’s in the Middleton and the Lockinge and I think those would be the most likely potential targets.”



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Dubai Turf distance expected to suit Nashwa

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Connections of Nashwa have every reason to believe the nine-furlong trip of Saturday’s Dubai Turf at Meydan will suit her down to the ground.

It is a brave decision by owner Imad Al Sagar to keep the multiple Group One-winning five-year-old mare in training given she is likely to be the leading light at his Blue Diamond Stud when she eventually does retire.

However, he found the prospect of competing in races such as the one this weekend too hard to turn down and on her best form last season, such as when winning the Falmouth by five lengths or splitting Mostahdaf and Paddington at York, she has every chance.

“I’ve always said with horses staying on in training that there has to be several criteria met,” said Teddy Grimthorpe, the owner’s racing manager.

Hollie Doyle on Nashwa after winning the Falmouth Stakes
Hollie Doyle on Nashwa after winning the Falmouth Stakes (David Davies/PA)

“Obviously soundness is one, opportunity and the wish of the owner. From that point of view, she really ticked all those boxes, which was great. If you do that sort of thing, then you’ve got to target important races.

“It’s always an enormous decision, one not to be made lightly. The importance of her for Imad as an owner-breeder – she’s vital to the stud really in every way. It’s not only her pedigree but her charm and ability, she’s in fairly rare company as far as that’s concerned.”

Last season started slowly with odds-on defeats in France and at Newcastle, but she came to life in the summer.

Grimthorpe said of the John and Thady Gosden trainee: “She took a while to come to herself last year and I think at one stage we were questioning whether we had done the right thing but then she blossomed in the Falmouth Stakes.

“She ran an outstanding race in the Juddmonte between Mostahdaf and Paddington and was arguably a little bit unlucky when third in the Irish Champion.

“She had two pretty tough races against probably the best horses in Europe at the time. She seems to have come through the winter in very good shape, both physically and mentally, which is the most important thing.

“There are no gimmes at this level, anywhere. In these races, you expect the best to turn up for $5million.

“She’s won Group Ones over a mile and a mile and a quarter, in theory nine furlongs ought to be her optimum trip as well. That was another plus side for her coming.”



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Nashwa on course for Dubai comeback run

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Top-class filly Nashwa is being readied for a trip to Meydan next month, with the Dubai Turf pencilled in as her planned comeback target.

Winner of the French Oaks and the Nassau Stakes as a three-year-old in 2022, the John and Thady Gosden-trained daughter of Frankel notched a third Group One win in last season’s Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket, as well as being placed in the Nassau, the Juddmonte International and the Irish Champion Stakes.

She was well beaten on her final start of the year in a soft-ground Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, but owner Imad Al Sagar has sportingly brought her back for another campaign.

“The plan at the moment is to head for the Dubai Turf,” his racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe said.

“There doesn’t seem to be an ideal race for her beforehand, so she’ll probably have a racecourse gallop, just to make sure she’s in good shape.

“She’s won Group Ones at a mile and a mile and a quarter, so in between (nine furlongs) should be ideal.

“She’s wintered well and is really just beginning her preparation. She’s a lovely, scopey filly and very important to Imad and his Blue Diamond Stud – and it’s exciting to have her back in full work.

“She ran some really top-class races last year, she had quite a hard end to the season but she seems to have got over it well and we’re looking forward to this season.”



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Nashwa to run in Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot

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Connections have confirmed that Nashwa will run in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

John and Thady Gosden’s multiple Group One winner is to be aimed at the mile contest, rather than the Qipco Champion Stakes over 10 furlongs.

Owner Imad Al Sagar’s Blue Diamond Stud posted on Twitter, now known as X: “Confirmed: Nashwa will run in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes @Ascot on Saturday.”

The five-year-old secured her latest elite-level success in the Falmouth Stakes over a mile at Newmarket in July.

She has since been placed in the Nassau Stakes, the Juddmonte International and the Irish Champion Stakes, all over an extra two furlongs.

However, jockey Hollie Doyle has no fears about dropping back in distance.

She said this week: “I think she’s very versatile and very effective whatever the ground and whatever the trip.

“You need horses like her, she’s carried me now for the past two years and she always produces the goods.”

Doyle will also partner another old favourite in Trueshan in the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup, who has won that race for the past three years.

He heads to Ascot on the back of victories in the Doncaster Cup and the Prix Du Cadran at ParisLongchamp.

“It would be pretty remarkable to do it for the fourth time but he seems better than ever, so fingers crossed,” the rider told Sky Sports Racing.

“The way the year started out, it was a bit touch and go at one point with his performances early on, but they sorted him out, found the key to him again and he’s had a new lease of life.

“In the Cadran, we found another way of being able to ride him and that’s great. I think all of my rides won’t mind any cut in the ground and he’ll be happy even if it’s a deluge.

Doyle’s Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes mount Saint Lawrence is a longshot but reported to be in fine spirits.

She added: “He won the Wokingham very nicely and he was just touched off in a Group One in France which was heartbreaking, but that was on quite slow ground, so hopefully the soft ground won’t be too much of an issue for him.

“We know he’s got a good race in him and he just needs things to fall right. He’s in excellent form, his work’s been really solid and he looks a picture.”



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Nashwa team turning thoughts to Champions Day ‘end game’

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Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot is viewed as the “end game” for Nashwa following another excellent run in defeat in Saturday’s Irish Champion Stakes.

Having claimed her third Group One win in the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket in July, John and Thady Gosden’s filly was beaten a length into third place in the Nassau at Goodwood and finished the same distance behind her stablemate Mostahdaf when runner-up in the Juddmonte International at York.

She was sent to Leopardstown for another top-level assignment and stormed home from the rear to again pick up minor honours in third, finishing on the heels of the Aidan O’Brien-trained pair of dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin and defending champion Luxembourg.

Nashwa has the option of return to Paris on Arc weekend for the Prix de l’Opera, in which she was touched off as a hot favourite last season, while she also holds an entry in the Sun Chariot at Newmarket the following week – but it is the big day at Ascot that connections are focussing on.

“She ran a super race on Saturday, she really did. She’s proven herself in top-class company against the colts and has come out of the race really well,” said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Imad Al Sagar.

“We’ll look at the options, but I think possibly the end game would be Qipco Champions Day, whether that be for the QEII or the Champion Stakes.

“I don’t think it would be necessary to have another run between now and then, but she is in the Sun Chariot or there’s the Prix de l’Opera.

“The Opera does come up quite quick, so we’ll see.”

Hollie Doyle on Nashwa after winning the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes
Hollie Doyle on Nashwa after winning the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes (David Davies/PA)

Last term Nashwa finished fourth at the Breeders’ Cup, but a trip to California appears less likely this time around, and a decision on whether she will race on next season has yet to be made.

Grimthorpe added: “It (Breeders’ Cup) certainly hasn’t been discounted because you never know what may or may not happen, but I think at the moment Ascot would be the main aim.

“Nothing has been decided (regarding next year), we’ll see how she is and see how she goes and Imad will decide nearer the time.”



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Nashwa in ‘great shape’ ahead of Irish Champion challenge

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Nashwa is set to throw her hat into the ring for next weekend’s Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes following a pleasing workout in Newmarket on Saturday morning.

Having secured her third Group One victory with a dominant performance in the Falmouth at Newmarket in mid-July, John and Thady Gosden’s filly has since finished third in the Nassau at Goodwood and second in the Juddmonte International at York.

She now looks set to take on the boys once more at Leopardstown, with dual Derby hero Auguste Rodin and King Edward VII Stakes winner and King George third King Of Steel among her potential rivals.

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Nashwa’s owner Imad Al Sagar, said: “We are positive, she did a nice little bit with Hollie solo on the Limekilns yesterday morning and everyone’s very happy.

“It seems the right spot to go for. She’s come out of York very well and Imad’s excited about going to Leopardstown next weekend.

“She’s in great shape and we’re looking forward to it.”



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Blue Rose Cen team take Goodwood disappointment on the chin

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Christopher Head felt the tactical nature of the Qatar Nassau Stakes meant Goodwood racegoers did not get to see odds-on favourite Blue Rose Cen at her best.

Blue Rose Cen, who had won both the French 1000 Guineas and French Oaks, got little luck in running under Aurelien Lemaitre and she could finish only fourth behind surprise winner Al Husn.

Lemaitre ended up stuck behind Ryan Moore aboard the eventual runner-up Above The Curve and failed to quicken when the belated gap finally arrived.

Head said: “It was a good opportunity to challenge for a Group One, but things didn’t work out for her. I will have to speak to the owners and we will discuss a plan. It could include the Prix de l’Opéra.”

He went on: “It was a very tactical race so of course it was a possibility that kind of thing could happen. She ran a nice race, she did her race, and for sure would have been closer in a different position.

“I still think Blue Rose Cen ran a very nice race and she will get into the rest of the programme at the end of the season.

“It’s different here, so we need to respect and go into the racing with the fact that, even with a strong possibility of winning, there is still a possibility to fail.”

On Lemaitre having not ridden at Goodwood before, the Chantilly-based handler added: “The Yeguada Centurion team and Leopold (Fernandez Pujals, owner) are always interested in working with the young ones for the future, because it’s important for them to build a team that follows them and we are still working together. Of course, Aurelien was part of the team.

Blue Rose Cen (centre) could finish only fourth
Blue Rose Cen (centre) could finish only fourth (Andrew Matthews/PA)

“We will have to discuss with Leopoldo and we will come back with a programme.

“I need to talk to see what the team want to do with her. This was a nice opportunity because we need to exist at that type of race. It hasn’t been won by France since the beginning, so it was still a challenge.”

Nashwa found a combination of soft ground and an extra two furlongs from the Falmouth Stakes, in which she was at her brilliant best, costing her dearly as she finished in third place.

Thady Gosden felt the ground blunted the class of Hollie Doyle’s mount.

He said: “She’s run a very good race, obviously. They went a slow pace and it’s very difficult to pick up in this ground.

“She travelled into the race well but you can’t quicken on ground like this and that’s sucked the class out of her.

“She ran on very well, but she’s a filly who won last over a mile and she showed a brilliant turn of foot there in ground that was soft, but obviously not as soft and easier to quicken through, whereas today she’s run a very good race but couldn’t quite show that brilliance we’ve seen before with her.

“It was a testing mile and a quarter but they didn’t go overly fast in front, and obviously the winner is a very good filly. Hollie gave her a great ride.”

Doyle also pointed to the extra two furlongs not playing to her strengths, with the winner franking the form of their previous clash in the Hoppings Stakes on the all-weather at Newcastle.

Nashwa could not pick up when it mattered
Nashwa could not pick up when it mattered (Steven Paston/PA)

She said: “There was no pace early on, but she relaxed beautifully. They got racing early enough coming down the hill and I was just trying to sit and hold on to her as long as I could, and I went there with a double handful at the two-pole.

“A furlong and a half out I went to win my race, pushed the button and she quickened. I just think in the final furlong I lacked a bit of stamina. It’s happened a few times now, and even today I rode her the opposite way and it confirmed what we might have thought.

“Take nothing away from the winner, who is very good.”



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Blue Rose Cen and Nashwa collide in Nassau cracker

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French trainer Christopher Head is excited to see how the “filly of my life” Blue Rose Cen shapes up against Nashwa in a mouthwatering Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.

Unbeaten in three starts this season, Blue Rose Cen landed the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) and then produced a powerful performance over an extended 10 furlongs, winning a deep Prix de Diane (French Oaks) at Chantilly by four lengths.

Last year she won four of her six starts, culminating in another top-class success in the Prix Marcel Boussac, to be crowned the French champion two-year-old.

Her first crack at the older generation comes on her international debut. And Head is relishing the chance to visit a track where Solow landed the Sussex Stakes for his father, Freddy, in 2015.

“Everything is all right – all lights are green,” said Head.

“She has had a brilliant preparation and we are very happy with her, and we can’t wait to get to Goodwood races.

“She is a wonderful filly, the filly of my life for now, and I’m really happy to have the luck to train her.

“It has been a tremendous season with her and we can’t wait to see what she is capable of doing at the Goodwood track.”

Head is a fifth generation of his family to excel in the thoroughbred business. He is the son of Freddy, the multiple champion-jockey-turned-trainer, and grandson of Alec, something akin to French racing royalty.

While this will be Head’s first runner at the undulating circuit, he is no stranger to British racing and is keen to see how far the daughter of Churchill can climb.

“It has been a very nice run and I think it is a very tactical racetrack and a very interesting one,” he added.

“I can’t wait to get into it, because there is such a good atmosphere at the races in the UK and it is really a unique feeling when you run a horse there.”

The Chantilly-based handler has no qualms that Blue Rose Cen will handle the rain-soaked ground.

“The ground should not be any issue for her,” he said. “She has already encountered various tracks and there is no problem at any of them.”

Though he initially felt she was a 10-furlong filly on pedigree, he is exploring the possibility of seeing her race over further.

“We will need to see her run, but there is a project about seeing what she is capable of doing in a staying capacity, such as the Vermeille, just to see if she is capable of going further,” he added.

“We don’t have the limit of the filly now – she looks like she can do everything! For now, she has the benefit of choice.”

Al Husn (left) renews rivalry with Nashwa after defeating her at Newcastle
Al Husn (left) renews rivalry with Nashwa after defeating her at Newcastle (Richard Sellers/PA)

Five fillies stand in her way, including Roger Varian’s Al Husn, who won the Group Three Hoppings Fillies’ Stakes, at Newcastle, and Joseph O’Brien’s Above The Curve, who won the top-level Prix Saint-Alary last season.

Nashwa, though, would appear to be Blue Rose Cen’s biggest danger. The John and Thady Gosden-trained four-year-old won this race last year, having previously given Hollie Doyle her first Classic success in the Prix de Diane.

The daughter of Frankel, who is rated 2lb superior on official ratings, will be conceding 8lb to the French raider due to the weight-for-age structure.

She took her time to find her form this season, and was narrowly beaten by Al Husn at Newcastle, but was subsequently an eyecatching winner of the Group One Falmouth at Newmarket, where she powered to a five-length success back over a mile.

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for Imad Al Sagar, who owns Nashwa, feels she is up to the task now she has found her form.

He said: “She’s in good form, actually. She came out of the Falmouth really well. I think it was so encouraging the way she did it at Newmarket.

Nashwa bounced back to rout her Falmouth opponents
Nashwa bounced back to rout her Falmouth opponents (David Davies/PA)

“Everybody’s faith has been repaid, as it were. She looked good and had done well over the winter and, if anything, might have done a bit too well.

““She is a big, scopey filly and sometimes they just take a little while to come to themselves. It was never that she worked badly, she was always going nicely, but I think after Newcastle, it looked like she suddenly began to take hold of the bridle.

“She settled really well at Newmarket and showed a really good turn of foot, galloped out well and wasn’t stopping.”

Nashwa justified favouritism, beating Aristia by a length and three-quarters in the race 12 months ago, but Grimthorpe knows she faces a tough task against Blue Rose Cen.

He added: “We know she acts at Goodwood, anyway. It is a very interesting race and the French filly looks exceptional. It is going to be a good race.

“We are always hopeful, but the good thing is she is going into the race how we’d want her to.”



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Nashwa and Blue Rose Cen declared for Nassau showdown

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Nashwa will face a very stern challenger for her Qatar Nassau Stakes crown at Goodwood on Thursday in the shape of Blue Rose Cen.

John and Thady Gosden’s filly was a stunning winner of the Group One feature last season, backing up her victory in the French Oaks.

She had been some way below that level of form in her early runs this season, but back down to a mile in the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket’s July meeting she returned to her brilliant best.

Hollie Doyle has been an ever present on Nashwa in her 11 starts to date in her role as retained rider for owner Imad Al Sagar and said the Nassau, which is part of the Qipco British Champions Series, has always been her main target.

“We never lost faith with her when she was beaten at Saint-Cloud and Newcastle, although as a Group One filly you don’t like to see them beaten in slightly lesser races,” said Doyle.

“Every time I rode her, I was getting off and saying she’d come on again for the run, and at Newcastle I made the running and she never really relaxed, which is why she got tired late on.

“Winning so well over a mile in the Falmouth opens up new avenues for her later on, as that was definitely her most impressive performance, but the Nassau was always her main target and she’s where we want her now.”

Nashwa will need to bring that Newmarket level of form to the table again, though, as Blue Rose Cen has looked every inch a superstar.

Trained by Christopher Head, she won the Prix Marcel Boussac last term and the French 1000 Guineas and Oaks, all in impressive fashion.

Nashwa also clashes with Joseph O’Brien’s Above The Curve, who beat her in the Prix Corrida in France, and Al Husn, her conqueror in the Hoppings Stakes at Newcastle.

Jack Channon’s Caernarfon and Aidan O’Brien’s Never Ending Story make up the six-runner field.

The John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes sees William Haggas’ historic Royal Ascot winner Desert Hero reappear, having caused great scenes when winning for the King and Queen.

He is one of six in the Group Three, with Artistic Star, Burdett Road, Canberra Legend, Chesspiece and Espionage.

Clive Cox’s Jasour must defy a penalty to follow up his July Stakes success in the Markel Richmond Stakes.

Asadna and Hala Emaraaty represent Alice Haynes, Unquestionable is the Ballydoyle runner while the once-raced Sketch will aim to follow up an impressive debut win for Martyn and Freddie Meade.



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