Whirl makes the most of tricky Nassau Stakes situation
Making the most of the absurd situation of starting a Group 1 race by flag, Ryan Moore seized an instant advantage on 3-year-old filly Whirl (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in Thursday's G1 Nassau Stakes and never looked back. With Goodwood's officials unwilling to allow the fillies into the starting stalls due to the persistent threat of thunder, a ragged start saw the 6-5 favourite romp into a clear advantage with See The Fire (Sea The Stars) notably slowly into her stride.
The winner's compatriot Cercene (Australia) looked the most potent threat heading to two out, but her presence only seemed to stir the blood of the Pretty Polly heroine and Oaks runner-up and she responded with a surge to carve out a five-length winning margin with See The Fire 1.25 lengths further back.
This renewal was shaped by torrential rain, with near 30 millimetres falling in the preceding minutes, and a shift to heavy was no deterrent to Whirl who had captured The Curragh's G3 Staffordstown Stud Stakes on soft in October and gone so close on good-to-soft at Epsom. Aidan O'Brien is not putting any limits on her at the moment. “She could go to the Arc trials, the Arc and the Breeders' Cup as well,” he said. “In the spring, when the fillies worked it was Whirl who came up in front and although she was disappointing first time she has proved a very good filly since.”
Moore, who is one off the record of Nassau wins now on five, said, “She is very uncomplicated. She has loads of ability, stays well, handles quick ground, handles slow ground. Aidan called her 'a racing machine' the last day. He keeps getting these horses to do different things and this filly keeps progressing. It is a shame it was the spectacle it was, but she won it very well.”
“She (Whirl) is very uncomplicated. She has loads of ability, stays well, handles quick ground, handles slow ground.” - Ryan Moore
Pedigree Notes: Whirl (Wootton Bassett), who is one of her sire's ever-growing tally of 15 Group One winners, is the first foal out of Salsa (Galileo) who is a full-sister to the 1,000 Guineas and Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Hermosa, the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes and G1 Matron Stakes heroine Hydrangea and the G1 Ranvet Stakes hero The United States.
Hydrangea has produced Dubawi's Wingspan, who was second in last year's British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, and Officer who captured this term's Listed Tetrarch Stakes, while Hermosa is the dam of the G3 Hampton Court winner and G1 Grand Prix de Paris runner-up Trinity College also by Dubawi. From the family of the G2 Prix Robert Papin-winning sire Zipping and the leading sire Last Tycoon, Salsa has a two-year-old full-brother to the winner named Kepler and an unnamed yearling full-sister.
Bated Breath's Coppull adds G2 Richmond Stakes
With a hefty storm brewing overhead Goodwood, Highfield Farm's 2-year-old colt Coppull (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) showed his rivals a clean pair of heels in Thursday's G2 Richmond Stakes. Third in the Coventry last month, David Armstrong's homebred was 5-1 to provide Clive Cox with a third renewal of this six-furlong contest in seven years and was always happy in front of the group racing towards the stands under David Probert.
Finding the fence late on, the colt named like most of the owner-breeder's horses after a Lancashire village kept up the momentum to score by two lengths from Ballydoyle's Puerto Rico (Wootton Bassett), with the Windsor Castle winner Havana Hurricane (Havana Gold) a neck away in third.
“He's got such a beautiful action on a nice surface I was concerned about the rain, but he is very quick and found an easy rhythm,” Cox said in a drenched winner's enclosure. “There is a lot of years' work going into these families by Sophie and David Armstrong, so it gives me a great thrill to help them win these types of races.
“He's (Coppull) got such a beautiful action on a nice surface I was concerned about the rain, but he is very quick and found an easy rhythm.” - Clive Cox
“He's very gifted and a proper six-furlong horse, so the Middle Park will be the end goal this year and he has a bit of size and scope there so I don't see why he won't make up into a really nice 3-year-old as well. I'm not sure he'd go on soft, so if the race had been later with this rain it would have been harder work.”
Coppull is the second foal out of the Stud's dual winner Springwood Drive (Mayson), a daughter of the 20,000gns (AU$43,000) purchase Ocean Boulevard (Danehill Dancer) who was snapped up from the Meon Valley Stud draft at the 2015 Tattersalls July Sale. Responsible for the smart handicapper Bickerstaffe and fairly useful Coppull Hall Lane also by Armstrong's July Cup hero Mayson, she is out of Ventura Highway (Machiavellian) who produced the G3 Lingfield Derby Trial winner Allessandro Volta (Montjeu).
“It's six years since Mabs Cross (was retired) and, within the space of a year in 2023, we lost four of our best horses – Ainsdale (Mayson), Blackrod (Mayson), Bickerstaffe (Mayson) and Sandbeck (Ardad),” David Armstrong said.
“That completely devastated us at the time. But we're coming back to our own level and that all makes you appreciate days like today even more. When they put it on the telly, Coppull, out of Springwood Drive, by our own Mayson, that meant more than anything to us because we bred all of those horses. He's a proper horse with a bloody great temperament and it's three generations of breeding that has allowed us to get to this milestone so it's super. It really is extra special.”
“He's (Coppull) a proper horse with a bloody great temperament and it's three generations of breeding that has allowed us to get to this milestone so it's super. It really is extra special.” - David Armstrong
Arc dreams for Highclere’s Merchant
Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's autumn dreams stayed alive against suitably dramatic Sussex skies on Thursday with the progressive 3-year-old colt Merchant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) fighting his way through the G3 Gordon Stakes. Held up by Tom Marquand after the day's first flag start, the 6-5 favourite had to work to get by Wimbledon Hawkeye (Kameko) but may have had the most aptitude of the pair late on to prevail by a nose, with a gap of seven lengths back to the solid yardstick Windlord (Dubawi) in third.
“It was tough and the horse had to show lots of guts,” trainer William Haggas said. “James (Owen) has got Wimbledon Hawkeye back to his best and that horse ran a fantastic race on this ground.”
The St Leger is always on the agenda for winners of this race–taken last year by Jan Brueghel–but Haggas is unconvinced based on the experience at Doncaster of his 2023 Gordon winner. “I don't know yet about the St Leger,” he added. “We will obviously talk to Harry (Herbert) about it. My gut feeling is no, because I don't think it did Desert Hero much good long-term.”
Marquand also seemed far from convinced about the Doncaster Classic. “The trouble is he was struggling on that ground and the likelihood of getting a fast-ground St Leger is slim enough,” he said. “If it were to happen, I would thoroughly be looking forward to riding him.”
The third opinion on the Classic target sat with the renowned syndicate's kingpin Harry Herbert, who was in no doubt as to the level the winner is at. “He is very special. Dare I say it, but he is the best we have had since Harbinger,” he said. “The trainer is not that keen on the St Leger. We will see if he still runs at York, but the preferred plan would be to go to the Great Voltigeur Stakes. If he happened to win the Voltigeur, we might be dreaming of an Arc.”
“He (Merchant) is very special. Dare I say it, but he is the best we have had since Harbinger.” - Harry Herbert
Pedigree Notes: Merchant is the second foal out of the unraced Ceistiu (Vocalised), a full-sister to the G3 Killavullan Stakes and G3 Amethyst Stakes winner and G1 Prix Rothschild and G1 Prix Jean Romanet-placed Steip Amach and half to the GIII Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes winner Ceisteach (New Approach). The latter's full-sister Fidaaha is in turn the dam of three Group winners including Mehmas's G1 Vincent O'Brien National Stakes hero Scorthy Champ and G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte and G3 Prix Imprudence winner and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and G1 Prix de la Foret-placed Malavath.
