Nassau Stakes analysis: Fancy Blue digs deep as three-year-olds dominate
Ben Linfoot unpicks the result of the Nassau Stakes and ponders what might be next for the dominating three-year-olds Fancy Blue and One Voice.
The Qatar Nassau Stakes isn’t always the strongest of Group Ones, but it looked up to scratch this year with four top-level winners in the field.
Deirdre was back for more after winning the race last year, Nazeef came into the race on the back of Falmouth Stakes success, Magic Wand, the Mackinnon Stakes winner in Australia, was punted into favouritism and FANCY BLUE was fresh from Classic victory in the Prix de Diane at Chantilly.
The latter duo are both Coolmore-owned and three furlongs out it looked like it might turn into an orange and blue shootout, as Aidan O’Brien’s Magic Wand led Donnacha O’Brien’s Fancy Blue into the business end of the contest.
However, Magic Wand didn’t find an awful lot for pressure and was soon swamped by the closers with Fancy Blue, who had sat second throughout, pouncing under Ryan Moore who had his mount in the perfect position.
That made all the difference, as she needed to find more to fend off the late attention of Jessica Harrington’s One Voice, who emerged from the pack to throw down the sternest of challenges.
It looked like One Voice might get there as Tom Marquand got a lovely tune out of her once she peeled off the rail to challenge but, to her great credit, Fancy Blue dug deep to find more and win by a neck.
This was just her fifth career start and she’s now four from five, with two Group Ones in the bag. She has improved with every run and showed a great attitude to win her big ones, so there’s plenty going for her heading into the autumn.
Given she’s two from two at 10 furlongs, both times at the highest level, the Irish Champion Stakes looks the obvious target for her, although she could go for the Matron Stakes against her own sex the same weekend.
There’s stamina in her pedigree, though, and her young trainer indicated afterwards she could have an international campaign later in the year, with the Prix de l‘Arc de Triomphe, the Breeders’ Cup and a race in her sire’s homeland, Japan, all possibly on the agenda.
Harrington has been denied twice by Fancy Blue now after Alpine Star was edged out in the Prix de Diane and One Voice ensured the three-year-olds dominated the older fillies with a career-best display in second.
She got no luck in-running over nine furlongs at the Curragh last time but improved for going back up to 10 furlongs here and needed every yard of the trip to show her best.
Marquand sat her in third throughout and she was nicely positioned on the rail, but she was a touch outpaced two furlongs from home when Deirdre and Queen Power overtook her when challenging out wide.
She soon got into top gear, though, drifting off the rail to challenge between Queen Power and Fancy Blue, and she looked the likely winner when trading at 1.39 in-running on Betfair inside the last 100 yards, only to lose out narrowly.
Her dam, Zaaqya, won over a mile and a half and she could step up in trip at some point, but there are plenty of options over 10 furlongs for her at home and abroad and she’s one of a high-class crop of Irish-trained three-year-old fillies.
Two-and-three-quarter lengths behind the front pair in third was Nazeef, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.
A furlong from home she looked more likely to be last than third, after not quite convincing on the track, but once Jim Crowley got her organised she flew home for the bronze medal.
Short of room three furlongs out and running up the backside of her rivals throughout the final quarter mile, she only got going very late once in the clear and was unlucky not to finish closer.
She can be marked up and it certainly didn’t look like she didn’t stay – this was her first go at 10 furlongs – but she now has options over both this distance and back at a mile, so she’ll be of interest back on a more conventional track.
Queen Power was keen early and then challenged out wide under Silvestre de Sousa, but her effort petered out in the final furlong.
She's yet to win above Listed level and will probably drop back in class next time.
Magic Wand was a bit disappointing considering the late money and with plenty in her favour, but she isn’t the easiest to win with as a strike-rate of four wins from 27 career runs suggests.
Lavender’s Blue ran well on her first go at the top level since finishing last in the 2019 Oaks, as she too raced a bit keenly and didn’t get the clearest of runs.
Already a Group Three winner, she might have to return to that sort of level to get another win on the board but this was quite encouraging.
Deirdre raced more prominently than usual and moved up to challenge on the outside, but she weakened markedly late on and didn’t show her true form. Things didn’t quite pan out for her this time around.
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