Qatar Nassau Stakes
Group 1, Goodwood 15:10 £600,000 added, Fillies & Mares, 3yo plus, 1m 1f 192y, Class 1
Saturday 1st August 2015

1 Legatissimo 2/1F
2 Wedding Vow 10/1
3 Arabian Queen 25/1
9 ran Distances: 2¼l, 1½l, ¾l
TIME 2m 6.04s (slow by 2.54s)

Legatissimo as smooth as you like in the Qatar Nassau Stakes, winning impressively from Wedding Vow and Arabian Queen

Legatissimo
© Caroline Norris

Legatissimo demonstrated an electric change of pace on her way to a facile victory in the Group One Qatar Nassau Stakes.

The David Wachman-trained filly captured the QIPCO 1000 Guineas at the start of the season before going down by a short-head in both the Investec Oaks at Epsom and Group One Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh.

She made no mistake here under Wayne Lordan, who was standing in for the injured Ryan Moore, pulling two and a quarter lengths clear at the line. Wedding Vow was second, with a length and a half back to Arabian Queen in third.

"Legatissimo was very good and Wayne gave her great ride," said Wachman. "She would have won in another stride the last day and it is great to see her win today.

"She showed a really good turn of foot, just as she did in the Guineas, and I would say anything between a mile and 10 furlongs is ideal for her.

"There are plenty of options for her between now and the end of the year. We could think about taking on the boys but I will have to speak to the owners first."

Lordan commented: "She is a very high-class filly. She travels and has plenty of speed. When I asked her to quicken, she quickened up well and got to the line, where she put plenty of daylight between them.

"She has everything. It was misfortune that she lost out by a short-head on two occasions but she got her head and showed that she is back to her best again.

"I haven't ridden her much but I have watched all the videos and it's a bit tricky down the inside, so I was happy with my draw. I got a lovely run into the race and she quickened up well.

"I rode this filly early on in her career and I knew that Ryan Moore was coming in to ride the all the Coolmore horses, which was perfect. Unfortunately, he is out with injury but I was only delighted to get back onto her."

Winning owner Michael Tabor, whose colours were also carried by Wedding Vow, said: "She is very good and she showed her true worth today, which we always thought she had. I think she has been a bit unlucky this year.

"I didn't really mind which filly won although, having said that, I would have preferred this filly to win - I think she deserves it. I like to think the well-bred fillies can do the trick.

"If you give David the right animal, he will produce them. He is a very good trainer in his own right and I think that he has got a great future."

Wedding Vow was beaten two and a quarter lengths by the winner, who like her carried the colours of Messrs Tabor and Smith and Sue Magnier. Arabian Queen, who is owned and was bred by Jeff Smith, finished a length and a half further back, third of the nine runners.

Colm O'Donoghue, who rode the Aidan O'Brien-trained runner-up, said: "She ran a fantastic race and I couldn't be happier with her. She is progressive and could well be better at four. She travelled well and gave a good kick a furlong and a half out, but Legatissimo kicked again and really showed her class. She [Legatissimo] was a very, very good winner of the 1000 Guineas."

David Elsworth, who trains Arabian Queen, was absent at Newmarket races, but Smith said: "She will be a lovely addition to my broodmare band, being by Dubawi, a Group Two winner and Group One placed. We always knew she was a Group One filly, and while we ran her in the Coronation and Falmouth Stakes that is because those races were there, but really she is a mile-and-a-quarter or mile-and-a-half horse - that is what she is bred for and she showed that today.

"She still didn't quite settle, and when she learns how to do that we've got a real star. She had a real fight [with her jockey] at Newmarket last time, and she was better at Royal Ascot the time before, yet she's been beaten no distance on both occasions. I'm chuffed to bits.

"She's in the Juddmonte International at York over a mile and two and a half furlongs, but I don't know - there are one or two good horses going there . . .  one called Golden something I believe. Given that she could do with a fraction more cut we could look at going to France, but we might bump into the Coronation winner [Ervedya]. However, we have lots of options.

"We have a Fastnet Rock two-year-old half-sister in training with David, and a foal full-sister to Arabian Queen at home on the stud."

Qatar Nassau Stakes
(British Champions Series)
£600,000 added, 3yo plus, 1m 1f 192y, Class 1
9 ran
Going: Good to Firm, Good in places