Fairy Glen, featuring an "Argentine" granddam, found her elusive G1 victory right on time and upstaged favorite Sunly
The Simon and Ed Crisford trainee went from last to first to capture the Prix de Royallieu by a neck, ridden with supreme confidence by Mickael Barzalona. Favorite Sunly finished second, while Amelia Earhart completed the frame
PARIS, France (Special for Turf Diario).— Fairy Glen has her days numbered as a racehorse, but before heading off to the broodmare barn, she ensured her name would forever be accompanied by a victory at the highest level. Delivering a formidable late rally from dead last, the mare conditioned by Simon and Ed Crisford pulled off a surprise on Saturday in the Qatar Prix de Royallieu (G1-2,800 m), one of the featured events on opening day of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) weekend at ParisLongchamp.
Mickael Barzalona knew the daughter of Farhh inside out, having ridden her throughout her successful campaign in Dubai, and he crafted a ride that was as patient as it was effective.
While Consent (Lope de Vega), Cameo (Wootton Bassett), Sugar Island (Dubawi), and Amelia Earhart (Camelot) set a sustained tempo up front, Fairy Glen dropped back to last by design, conserving every drop of energy and waiting for the race to take shape.
The scenario unfolded precisely as Barzalona had envisioned. The field began making its moves from quite far out, and Sunly (Night of Thunder), backed down to 5-6 favoritism, surged forward to take command with around 200 meters remaining.
It appeared as though the Juddmonte representative had things well in hand. But right behind her, Fairy Glen was emerging.
Barzalona angled her wide out, using Sunly as the perfect target, and the mare began taking massive bites out of the lead. The favorite dug in gamely near the wire, but Fairy Glen ultimately wore her down to prevail by a neck.
Amelia Earhart, coming off a third-place finish in the St Leger Stakes (G1), delivered another solid performance to secure that same spot, a further 3/4 of a length back.
“Everything happened exactly as Mickael said it would: he believed they would start pressing the pace from early on,” explained Ed Crisford. “He knows her inside out from Dubai and simply wanted to take as much time as possible with her.”
That patience proved paramount. “She was tracking Sunly, who is a very gutsy mare herself. She is never going to win by two or three lengths, but she gets the job done,” added the trainer.
A Major Triumph Before Retirement
The victory capped off a stellar campaign for Fairy Glen. During the early part of the year, she stood out as one of the star performers of the Meydan Carnival, where she captured both the Balanchine (G2) and the Dubai Gold Cup (G2) before returning to Europe.
In May, she had finished fifth behind Caballo De Mar (Phoenix of Spain) in the Prix Vicomtesse Vigier (G2) over this same ParisLongchamp course. She was then given a summer breather and made her reappearance last month with a runner-up finish in a Listed race at Yarmouth—a result her connections viewed merely as a prep for the primary target.
“She probably should have won at Yarmouth a couple of weeks ago,” Crisford admitted. “It was her first run back after the layoff and we didn’t want to ask too much of her because this was the race we were pointing toward.”
That tactical planning executed to perfection. Fairy Glen secured the defining victory of her career in Paris, and the door now remains open for one final appearance before she permanently segues to broodmare duties.
She holds an entry for QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot and could also find another suitable option back in France.
“She is a genuinely top-class mare and now she is a Group 1 winner,” celebrated Crisford. “She will be retired at the end of this year. We will consult with her owner, and perhaps we can find one more race for her before she goes to stud.”
Fairy Glen, whose granddam is named Argentina (Sadler's Wells), has already achieved the ultimate missing piece on her resume. She waited until age 5 and the final stretch of her racing career to hit the pinnacle of top-level success, doing so in unforgettable fashion: coming from last, out wide, and collaring the heavy favorite right on the wire.
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