3 minute read

Nazeef flies home to win Snowdrop Fillies' Stakes

Invincible Spirit (Green Desert) sired his 127th stakes winner on Wednesday, as the John Gosden-trained Nazeef (4 f ex Handassa by Dubawi) continued on her upward trajectory in the Snowdrop Fillies' Stakes (Listed, 1m) at Kempton. 

Bred and raced by Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, the four-year-old filly flew home to beat 2018 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) winner Billesdon Brook (Champs Elysees) by half a length with another length and a quarter back to Shepherd Market (Reckless Abandon) in third. 

Gosden was represented by his son Thady, who said: “She didn’t have the smoothest trip round and was quite far back, nothing really took her into the race and obviously the surface is riding quite slow at the moment so it was a very pleasing performance.

“They often improve as they get older and she’s definitely come on well. She ran very well last year but she has strengthened and matured nicely this year. Hopefully she will continue to improve.

“We will see how she is after the race and we could possibly look at Royal Ascot with her, but it’s entirely up to Sheikh Hamdan (owner).

“I’m sure he’ll decide what he wants to do, but possibly a tilt at something like the Duke of Cambridge (Stakes).”

The filly is the only winner of Listed winner Handassa (Dubawi) who is herself a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Desert Stone (Fastnet Rock) and Group 3 winner Eugenio (Fastnet Rock) 

The filly’s third dam is Star (Most Welcome) - the dam of Group 1-winning duo Pastoral Pursuits (Bahamian Bounty) and Goodricke (Bahamian Bounty). 

Further back, this is the family of Group 3 winner Superstrike (Superlative) and Listed-winning pair Four-Legged Friend (Aragon) and Sweet Lilly (Tobougg). 

Invincible Spirit stood at the Irish National Stud for a fee of €100,000 this year.