Whirl all the way in Nassau over heavy going at Goodwood

Adverse weather became the major player at Glorious Goodwood on Thursday, but even a torrential downpour couldn’t dampen the front-running enthusiasm of Whirl in the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Nassau (G1). 

Aidan O’Brien’s red-hot favorite dictated literally from flagfall. The small field was sent on its way by a flag start, rather than risking the lightning hazard of the starting gate. Jockey Ryan Moore made sure to have Whirl positioned well in front from the first instant, and her rivals simply couldn’t keep up the gallop in the testing conditions. 

The course, which started the day as good (good to firm in places), was downgraded to heavy once a biblical amount of rain hit within an hour. The immediately preceding race, the Gordon (G3), also had to resort to a flag start.

Whirl, who was odds-on in the world pool and the 6-5 choice in the British market, was coming off a victory over older distaffers in the Pretty Polly (G1) at the Curragh. The form was boosted when Kalpana, runner-up as the Pretty Polly favorite, returned to place a bang-up second to Calandagan in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth (G1). 

Whirl’s main opponent in the Nassau was another top-class four-year-old from the Andrew Balding yard, See the Fire. Runner-up by a neck in last year’s Nassau on good-to-firm, See the Fire was expected to pose a greater threat to Whirl. But her fortunes deteriorated along with the weather, and the soggy track left her unable to quicken from off the pace.

As usual, when rain affects Goodwood, the field opted to move toward the stands’ side after turning for home. Whirl’s early stalkers, Running Lion and Cercene, presented a study in contrasts down the stretch. Running Lion was the first to come off the bridle, while Cercene plugged on dourly, if vainly, behind Whirl.

Making light of the heavy going, Whirl drew away by five lengths. The Wootton Bassett filly covered 1 1/4 miles in 2:08.43 to book her spot in the Filly & Mare Turf (G1) at a much sunnier Del Mar.

“Well done to everybody for getting the race on and keeping it going,” O’Brien said. “Whirl is an amazing filly. I am delighted for the lads. She is a (Coolmore) homebred by Wootton Bassett, she gets a mile and a half, handles all types of ground, and Ryan gave her a lovely ride. 

“He was going to go forward on her, and no one else in their right mind was going to want to make the running on that ground in these conditions, so I would say everyone was waiting on Ryan to go.”

Moore credited Whirl for making it simple.

“Whirl just keeps doing what she says she is going to do,” the winning rider said. “She is very uncomplicated. She has loads of ability, stays well, handles quick ground, handles slow ground. Aidan called her 'a racing machine’ the last day. He keeps getting these horses to do different things, and this filly keeps progressing.

“It is a shame it was the spectacle it was, but she won it very well. She has won two Group 1 races now against the girls. She will have to step up again against the boys, but she is progressing, and Aidan’s horses just keep turning up every time.”

Cercene, fresh off an upset score in the Coronation (G1) at Royal Ascot, validated that performance with a hard-trying second. Trainer Joe Murphy indicated that the daughter of Australia would revert to a mile for the Matron (G1) at Leopardstown during the Irish Champions Festival.

See the Fire, who was conceding nine pounds to the sophomores, churned on another 1 1/4 lengths back in third. O’Brien’s other runner, Bedtime Story, checked in fourth, and Running Lion was a tailed-off last.

Balding noted that the ground did See the Fire no favors, but he graciously admitted that Whirl would have been a tough customer regardless. 

“Conditions weren't ideal, obviously, but who is to say we would have beaten the winner anyway,” Balding said. “See The Fire didn't have a terribly hard time and seemed OK afterwards. We will kick on to York for the (Juddmonte) International S. [G1].”

See The Fire is eligible to rebound in that York feature. Not only did she crush the course-and-distance Middleton (G2) back in May, but she is also the offspring of two Juddmonte International winners. Her sire is the all-time great Sea the Stars (2009), and her dam, Arabian Queen, famously stunned Golden Horn in the 2015 edition.

Whirl boasts a big win at York herself in the May 14 Musidora (G3), prior to her near-miss to stablemate Minnie Hauk in the Oaks (G1) at Epsom. A return to the Knavesmire is among the options for Whirl, whose resume now reads 9-5-1-0. 

“She is just a very, very good filly,” O’Brien said. “Depending on what the lads want to do, she has all the options. She could go to York, or she could miss York and go to France for the Arc trials and the Arc (G1). She is unusual as she has so many options and is so straightforward.”

Yet her path may hinge on plans for Minnie Hauk, who edged Whirl at Epsom before completing the classic double in the Irish Oaks (G1). 

“Minnie Hauk is a great traveler,” O’Brien said, “and you probably won't see the best of Minnie Hauk until she goes up in class against older horses, where the tempo is very strong. What Minnie Hauk does is she is a very high cruiser, and we haven't seen that cruise in her races yet, but we have seen it at home.

“Even when she (Minnie Hauk) followed this filly (Whirl) at Epsom, she was finding it very easy to follow her, but you don't know what this filly is either, and you probably won't know until they meet again. We saw what happened at Epsom when Ryan (on Minnie Hauk) was very confident that he was going to get her (Whirl), but she just kept coming with him. They are obviously very good fillies, and when they do come together, we will find out.”

Irish-bred Whirl is out of the Galileo mare Salsa, who is a full sister to multiple Group  1 queens Hermosa and Hydrangea, as well as to Australian Group 1 victor The United States. Hydrangea is responsible for Wingspan and Officer, while Hermosa is the dam of current Hampton Court (G3) hero Trinity College, just denied in the July 13 Grand Prix de Paris (G1).