Fancy Blue Battles To Nassau Success

Fancy Blue (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), fresh from a thrilling victory in Chantilly's G1 Prix de Diane earlier this month, doubled up in battling fashion and continued to lead the way for the freshman stable of Donnacha O'Brien with a second Group 1 success in Thursday's G1 Qatar Nassau S. at Goodwood. Accepting a tow from Aidan O'Brien trainee and G1 Mackinnon S. victress Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) into the straight, the 11-4 chance inched closer to launch her challenge at the quarter-mile marker and was driven out once taking control soon after to withstand the late charge of last month's G3 Blue Wind S. victress One Voice (Ire) (Poet's Voice {GB}) by a neck, providing Ryan Moore with a 50th Goodwood festival success. Nazeef (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) finished a further 2 3/4 lengths adrift in third. “That was a lovely performance from Fancy Blue, she is unbelievable and it is massive as you never believe you will get one like her in your first year of training,” said conditioner Donnacha O'Brien. “When you have the pedigrees that Coolmore have, you always have a chance and I am very lucky. I was given Fancy Blue as a yearling and you don't really expect these kind of things, but when they come along it is more unlikely that the majority will be up to this sort of Group 1 class. You do right by them so that they will fulfil their full potential and thankfully she has reached that class. It is unbelievable that I get a filly like her in my first year. People go a lifetime without getting a filly like her and I am no under no illusions as to how lucky I am, and I just need to do the best I can with her. I was looking after her as a yearling and I was responsible for her, but I didn't have my licence so she was not under my name.”

The homebred bay was unbeaten in two juvenile outings for Aidan O'Brien, backing up a Naas debut success with victory in The Curragh's Listed Staffordstown Stud S., and her first official start for O'Brien junior was a runner-up finish to Peaceful (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas on seasonal debut before turning the tables on that former stablemate at Chantilly last time. “I was hopeful of a good performance due to the weight she was getting [from the older fillies], and this race fitted in well after her win in the French Oaks,” O'Brien commented. “Every race she has won she has had to battle for and work for it. Jessie [Harrington]'s filly [One Voice] came at her today and if she had got into a proper battle with her, I think she would have found more. She is a very tough, high-class filly who has shown how good she is today. We came here today unsure as to what she would think of the ground. I was speaking to Dad during the race that she was swapping and changing her lead leg coming down the hill. She didn't look particularly comfortable and I think a little bit of juice in the ground won't be any harm for her in the future.”

Looking ahead to targets over a variety of distances, the rookie trainer revealed an extensive agenda. “We will give her a little break now as she has had a busy start to the year,” he announced. “We might look at Irish Champions Weekend to bring her back and that could be in the [G1] Matron [over one mile at Leopardstown], which I know is back down in trip, or in the [G1] Irish Champion [over 10 furlongs]. She'll then go to Arc weekend where she has the option of the [G1] Prix de l'Opera [over 10 furlongs] or the Arc itself. After that, it will probably be the Breeders' Cup or a trip to Japan for the Queen Elizabeth, where there is big money on offer over a mile-and-three and a bonus for winning the Prix de Diane. We're not really sure what is going on with America at the minute, but they are the options. All the people in Japan are massive supporters of racing and I know myself from riding Saxon Warrior, and him being by Deep Impact, that we got a good following from the Japanese fans. It is always somewhere I have wanted to go and, whilst it is not set in stone, she could go there. Arc weekend fits nicely so whether it is the Opera or the Arc, we will sit down and speak with the owners. Taking in the [G1 Prix] Vermeille [over 12 furlongs] could maybe be a possibility, but we will have to see. There are a lot of good races around and I think she would be competitive anywhere from a mile to a mile-and-a-half. With her allowance in the Arc, I wouldn't be writing her off either so we'll have to see how strong the Opera is. Coolmore could have Love for the Arc too so nothing is set in stone.”

Fancy Blue is one of six winners produced by Chenchikova (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), herself a winning full-sister to MG1SW sire High Chaparral (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) and G2 Dante S. victor and GI Secretariat S. runner-up Black Bear Island (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). She is a kin to stakes-winning G1 Dewhurst S. third Smuggler's Cove (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and stakes-winning G3 Prix de Lutece placegetter Casterton (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). Fancy Blue is also a half-sister to the placed 2-year-old filly Miss Chess (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), a yearling filly by Caravaggio and a 2020 filly by Saxon Warrior (Jpn). Chenchikova, kin to the dam of MGSW GI Belmont Derby Invitational third Hunting Horn (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and MGSW G1 Dewhurst S. placegetter David Livingston (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), is also a granddaughter of MGSW French champion and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and G1 Prix du Moulin placegetter Kozana (GB) (Kris {GB}). The latter produced a quartet of stakes performers which includes G1 Premio Parioli (Italian 2000 Guineas) and GI Oak Tree Turf Championship runner-up Khoraz (The Minstrel).

Thursday, Goodwood, Britain
QATAR NASSAU S.-G1, £250,000, Goodwood, 7-30, 3yo/up, f/m, 9f 197yT, 2:04.99, gd.
1–FANCY BLUE (IRE), 124, f, 3, by Deep Impact (Jpn)
     1st Dam: Chenchikova (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
     2nd Dam: Kasora (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
     3rd Dam: Kozana (GB), by Kris (GB)
O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Donnacha O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £141,775. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Fr, SW & G1SP-Ire, 5-4-1-0, $666,724. *1/2 to Smuggler's Cove (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), SW-Ire & G1SP-Eng, $137,682; and to Casterton (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), MSW & GSP-Fr, $163,024. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–One Voice (Ire), 124, f, 3, Poet's Voice (GB)–Zaaqya (GB), by Nayef. (€55,000 Ylg '18 GOFSPT). O-Craig Bernick; B-J Lenihan (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington. £53,750.
3–Nazeef (GB), 133, f, 4, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Handassa (GB), by Dubawi (Ire). O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Shadwell Estate Company Limited (GB); T-John Gosden. £26,900.
Margins: NK, 2 3/4, HF. Odds: 2.75, 20.00, 3.30.
Also Ran: Queen Power (Ire), Magic Wand (Ire), Lavender's Blue (Ire), Deirdre (Jpn). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.