Whirl Dominates Nassau Stakes to Reaffirm Her Class

The daughter of Wootton Bassett made every yard a winning one and powered home an emphatic 5-length victress. Cercene followed her home in second, while See The Fire rounded out the trifecta

Whirl Showed Her Class in the Rain at Goodwood / GOODWOOD

CHICHESTER, Inglaterra (Special for Turf Diario).- Whirl (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) confirmed her place among Europe’s top 3-year-old fillies with a commanding 5-length victory in Thursday’s G1 Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood. Under steady rain and over soft ground, the Coolmore homebred made every yard of the running to dominate the meeting’s feature contest.

Partnered by Ryan Moore, the Aidan O’Brien trainee broke alertly and was immediately sent forward, guiding the field toward the stands’ rail. She began to widen her advantage inside the final three furlongs and powered clear to score with ease as the 6-5 favorite.

Cercene (Ire) (Australia {GB}), stepping up to 10 furlongs for the first time following her victory in the G1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, finished a solid second. She was followed home by the consistent See The Fire (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), third in the G1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, who filled the same spot again here.

“She’s an incredible filly,” said Aidan O’Brien. “I’m delighted for the lads, who bred her at home. She stays well, handles any ground, and Ryan gave her a beautiful ride. He was always going to go forward, and in these conditions, no one else was going to want to make the running. Everyone was happy for him to do the job.”

O’Brien continued: “She has all the options open. She could go to York, or we could skip that and aim for trials in France, leading to the Arc. She’s so straightforward and versatile.”

Asked about a potential rematch with Minnie Hauk (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who defeated Whirl in the G1 Oaks at Epsom, he said: “Minnie Hauk is a very strong stayer, but we probably won’t see the best of her until she’s facing older fillies and a stronger pace. At home, her cruising speed is off the charts. When she followed Whirl at Epsom, she did so very comfortably. But Whirl is a bit of a mystery too—you don’t know her ceiling. Ryan thought he had her that day, but she just wouldn’t let him by.”

For Moore, the performance confirmed everything he believed about the filly: “Whirl does everything you want in a racehorse. She’s uncomplicated, full of talent, and handles any ground. Aidan called her a ‘machine’—and he’s not wrong. She keeps improving, and that’s what really matters.”

He added: “It’s a shame about the spectacle today, but she won with authority. That’s two Group 1 wins against her own sex. Now she’ll likely take the next step and face the colts. She’s progressing nicely, and Aidan’s horses are always ready for that challenge.”

Joseph Murphy, trainer of Cercene, was pleased: “We’re thrilled with her effort. Gary [Carroll] said she was sliding around in the mud. On better ground, I think she’d have run a huge race. She’s all heart and needs a sound surface. We’ll bring her back to a mile for the Matron Stakes, hoping for dry conditions.”

Carroll added: “She ran a brilliant race. The ground didn’t suit, but she stayed the trip and gave everything. I’m delighted with the second. The flag start didn’t bother me—I come from pony racing, and we’re used to it.”

Andrew Balding, trainer of See The Fire, said: “The ground wasn’t ideal, but I’m not sure we’d have beaten the winner anyway. My filly had a nice, easy race and came out of it well. She’s heading to York next for the Juddmonte International.”