Newmarket review Falmouth Stakes day | Killybegs Warrior lands 22/1 Value Bet winner

Nashwa returns to peak with Falmouth score

Nashwa (4/1) came right back to form to register the third Group One victory of her career in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes (1m), the highlight of Festival Friday at the Boodles July Festival.

Successful at the top level in the Prix de Diane and Nassau Stakes in 2022, the four-year-old Frankel filly had run below par on her two outings this season prior to today. However, she amply justified the decision to supplement her for this race at a cost of £20,000 last Saturday with a stunning success.

Partnered by Hollie Doyle, the Imad Alsagar-owned Nashwa travelled smoothly into the lead entering the final furlong and went to score by five lengths from Remarquee (11/2) with another length and a half back to the evens favourite Via Sistina in third.

Nashwa is trained by John and Thady Gosden. When sole licence holder, John Gosden won the Falmouth Stakes with Ryafan (1997), Elusive Kate (2013) and Nazeef (2020).

John Gosden said: "She’s a filly that has taken a long time to come to herself. She ran in France and she wasn’t there and at Newcastle she was a little keen early. It’s a stiff mile and a quarter up there and she just over-raced early and got caught in the last few strides.

“I only thought in the last week that she needs racing, I didn’t want her to be too fresh for the Nassau Stakes by waiting seven weeks. I thought coming here would suit as she’s got plenty of speed any how that a mile has really suited her – she’s a filly who could run in the QEII (at Ascot) at the end of the year.

“I didn’t like the gap between Newcastle and the Nassau, she gets big and she gets fresh and she goes to Goodwood and over-races and is too keen. So, this race is close to home and just thought of it last weekend. I rang Teddy (Grimthorpe) and he wondered what I was smoking! I just knew it was the right thing to come here and she’s proven it. She’s a classy filly.

“She’s a powerful filly and she’s built like a colt and a mile and a quarter is the top of her range really. She was third in an Oaks and we found out she didn’t stay. The plan now is to go to the Nassau.

“She’s finely come to herself. A lot of them have found the spring difficult, Emily Upjohn was going to run in Dubai and she didn’t end up running until June, so with the fillies you have to be patient. She’s come here though and she’s super adaptable.

“Hollie gets an excellent tune out of her. She’s over raced at Newcastle but we’ve learned from that and come here.”

Betfair reacted by cutting Nashwa to 3/1 from 8/1 for a repeat success in the Nassau.

Doyle said: “Things are going excellent, so I can’t complain. For this filly to get her head back in front and just display how good that we know she is - it is the icing on the cake. She’s been a real flagbearer for me and the team and there were plenty of doubters on the back of her last two runs today, but John Gosden is a master and you shouldn’t doubt him.

“I think she’s just proven to be extremely versatile, you can ride her anywhere and she stays 10 furlongs. Plenty more doors have been opened stepping her back down to a mile."

Ralph Beckett, trainer of runner-up Remarquee, said: “It will be interesting to see what the Timeform men say (about the run). I was really pleased with her. She is getting more professional with racing as I hoped she might as it is a trait of the family. It was a good effort, but John (Gosden) got it right again (with Nashwa).

"She is in the Rothschild so we will see how that goes. She is in the Matron Stakes, and there is the Sun Chariot as well. Ground doesn’t appear to matter much to her. We will see how we feel at the time and take our chances as they arise. I’d say we will keep to a mile for the time being.

"As for Prosperous Voyage (last year’s winner who was seventh today) it was just the ground, and she didn’t handle it at all."

George Boughey, who saddled the third Via Sistina, said: “I think it was the step back to a mile and she just got tapped for toe I think. Jamie (Spencer) gave her one flick and I was pleased to see her stay on well. She looked like she was booked for fourth, fifth or sixth at one point, but up the hill she galloped out well and went all the way to the end.

"She will have a bit of a break now and we will prep her for the autumn and back to 10 furlongs. We won’t see her over a mile again.”

Warrior strikes for Value Bet

Killybegs Warrior (20/1) made it three wins from as many starts on the July Course at Newmarket when battling his way to success in the £100,000 6 Horse Challenge At bet365 Handicap (1m 2f), the opening contest on Festival Friday at the 2023 Boodles July Festival.

Carrying the silks of one of his stable’s longstanding owners, Mick Doyle, the three year old son of Saxon Warrior went to the front entering the final quarter mile under Kevin Stott. After being headed by Obelix (25/1) in the final furlong, he rallied gamely inside the final half-furlong to score by three-quarters of a length.

This was a seventh success in this race for a horse trained by a member of the Johnston family in the last 11 years. Mark Johnston saddled six winners between 2013 and 2020 with this being a first for his son Charlie.

Charlie Johnson said: “Mick Doyle (owner) has been a huge supporter of the family for the past 25 to 30 years. He loves this track, and he always wants to target his horses here. I’m absolutely delighted for him as he has been a huge supporter of the yard for a long time, and this is the perfect track and the perfect horse to have a winner for him.

“One thing we always try and do is go back to what we know has worked in the past and this horse is a perfect example. His best form is on this track. We were on a bit of a recovery mission, so we have gone back to what we know works well in the past. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t.

“There was a period when I think we had five of the seven renewals (go our way) and some really good horses of ours have won it, Communique springs to mind. This horse is now three from three on this track and he clearly loves it here. I’ve set him some pretty difficult challenges this year like the Dante and the Hampton Court, and this was him probably at a more realistic level and he has bounced back.

“I actually thought he didn’t run as badly as his finishing position suggested in the Hampton Court. He was quite a long way back and he just never really got into it. Richard (Kingscote) wasn’t that hard on him in the final furlong when he wasn’t going to be placed, but he was running up the back of horses and he wasn’t beaten that far.

“The one real disappointment was probably the Silver Bowl at Haydock. We spent a lot of time debating whether he was a mile or a mile and a quarter horse. I think we eventually realised a mile and a quarter is his best trip.

“Newmarket and York are Mick Doyle’s tracks and we always try and target runners for him at those tracks but I might try and ask for a pass out to Goodwood between now and York.”

Thady Gosden, joint trainer of the runner-up Obelix with his father John, said: “He ran very well.

“His last run at Ascot was his first run in handicap company and that was a tough race. He’s run a much better race here today - he switched off well at the back under Jamie (Spencer) and stayed on well. We’ll see how he comes out of the race and go from there.”

Alan King, trainer of the third Westerton (11/2), said: “I’m happy enough with that. We might look at stepping him up in trip a little bit now, if he comes out of it well there’s a mile and a half race at Goodwood which we might look at.”

Persian sinks the Mystery machine

Persian Dreamer downed the long odds-on favourite Star Of Mystery in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket.

Kevin Stott ensured it was a happy birthday for Amo Racing boss Kia Joorabchian in the fillies’ Group Two contest, which had looked at the mercy of Charlie Appleby’s Star Of Mystery once George Boughey’s Soprano was declared a non-runner due to a medication mix-up.

Two of the four runners were trained by Dominic French Davis, with his second string Thanksbutnothanks taking the field along early and the favourite close by.

But Persian Dreamer (5/1) – one place behind Soprano when fourth in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot – quickened impressively when asked and went on to win by a length and three-quarters, giving Stott a swift double after victory aboard the Charlie Johnston-trained Killybegs Warrior in the opening handicap.

Star Of Mystery (1/6) was a second odds-on favourite of Appleby’s to be beaten at the meeting following Adayar’s defeat on Thursday.

Ffrench Davis, celebrating his first Group winner, said: “We hit the crossbar a few times. It is a relief to win a Group race at last. She’s a smashing filly and has done nothing wrong all year, but needs to get her toe in the ground.

“We were praying for the rain today and it has come. I hoped it would rain.

“She was the last horse off the bridle at Ascot, she just doesn’t let herself down when the ground is as fast as that.

“I think she will be a lovely filly going forward. When she won on the Rowley Mile, I always felt that she might go on to be a Guineas filly next year.

“She gives you that sort of a feel. She’s done her bit for the moment and we will wait for the ground to be right and make sure the race is right and hope she will be going for a little soft-ground Group One in the autumn.

“We have got some nice horses, but never would have had this sort of class of horse at all (before Amo’s backing).”

Of the beaten market leader, Appleby said: “As we know with these small-runner events, they can become quite messy.

“It was contested early and she was lit up for the first couple of furlongs. Will (Buick) said she hit the lids and the other horse was sat on our girths and keeping us lit up. They got a nice tow into it and they picked up and saw it out better than we did.

“It is tough out there on the front with a headwind and it just paid that last couple of hundred yards.

“Fair play to the winner, they have got a nice tow and got cover pulled her out and picked her up.

“Small fields are the annoying ones, they can be more messy than the bigger ones. Our filly didn’t lose too much in defeat, but I think she’ll be better when she gets a bit of cover.

“She is most definitely a sprinter. Whether we look down the Lowther route or something, we’ll see. She is a this-year filly, on the scope of her anyway.”

Dream delight for Bin Suroor

Live Your Dream (5/2 favourite) repeated his 2021 success in the £100,000 bet365 Trophy Heritage Handicap (1m 6f) to bring up a 440/1 treble for jockey Kevin Stott.

Having won this contest two years ago, Godolphin’s six year old Iffraaj gelding missed all of 2022 but had shaped with promise on two outings this year when placed at Haydock Park and Royal Ascot. Travelling well through today’s race, he went to the front two furlongs out and the result was not in doubt thereafter as he went on to win by a comfortable length and three quarters.

Kevin Stott told ITV Racing: “He ran a really good race last time and was up in trip today. We knew he liked it here and he has won it a little bit easy to be honest.

“I have had a treble before but obviously this is brilliant. Saeed (bin Suroor, trainer) has been very good to me since I was an apprentice and to ride him nice winners is really nice for me personally. He has always been a good supporter of mine and is an absolute gentleman. I am really happy and really happy for Saeed.”

Successful trainer Saeed bin Suroor said: “Today he won well. We are happy with the way he ran and we will now take him to York for the Ebor. He will need an easy time as he has had three hard races but so far physically, he looks very good.

“He had two good runs coming into the race. After last time we thought maybe one mile six is the best trip for him and that distance was clearly better for him today. For him to go to Australia we need to see how he runs in the Ebor first. It is something that could be on the back of the mind.”

Adrian Keatley, trainer of the runner-up Kihavah (5-1), said: “He ran a blinder. It’s a pity we didn’t win on the day but the ground probably got away from us, so what can you do.

“Hopefully now he gets into the Ebor. We were targeting the Summer Hurdle at Market Rasen but I’d say the ground will have gone there by next week, so we’ll mark him out for the Ebor and see how we get on.”

Arabic Legend impresses on debut to earn Guineas quotes

Andrew Balding unleashed a potentially smart prospect at Newmarket in the shape of Arabic Legend, who quickened up in fine style to take the Weatherbys British EBF Maiden Stakes under Rob Hornby.

Sent off at 17/2, the Dubawi colt showed plenty of maturity as he took apart what looked a good bunch of two-year-olds in the seven-furlong contest, downing the well-supported Emperor’s Star, similarly making his debut for the equally-powerful Charlie Appleby yard.

After the length-and-a-half success, the Sheikh Mohammed Obaid-owned colt was handed a 25/1 quote from Paddy Power for next season’s Qipco 2000 Guineas.

Balding said: “He quickened up nicely. He’s a nice horse and an exciting prospect.

“He is a very well-bred horse and we think a little bit of him. When the rain came it was encouraging. That certainly wasn’t going to inconvenience him.

“He has got a lot of potential. He was due to run at Doncaster, but it was unfortunate there was a mishap in the stalls. But anyway, it was great to come here. Rob gave him a lovely ride and I’m delighted for his owner. He is a great owner to have, and he bred the horse so it’s great.

“I’m sure he will stay a mile and I’m sure he will get further in time.”

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