Albany Stakes
(Fillies' Group 3) Ascot 14:30 £125,000 guaranteed, 2yo only, 6f, Class 1
Tweet Friday 21st June 2024

1 Fairy Godmother 15/8F
2 Simmering 9/1
3 Heavens Gate 8/1
16 ran NR: Liberalised Distances: ¾l, nk, 2¾l
Time: 1m 13.48s (slow by 1.18s)

That is MAGIC from Ryan Moore to get Fairy Godmother to win the Albany Stakes at Royal @Ascot! pic.twitter.com/yFSRxGa8kH

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 21, 2024

Jockey Ryan Moore admitted Fairy Godmother had defied what looked a Herculean task, and trainer Aidan O’Brien blew out his cheeks in relief as she crossed the line, three-quarters of a length ahead of Ollie Sangster’s Simmering. Heavens Gate, a stable-mate of the winner, was a neck further behind in third. 

At halfway Fairy Godmother was racing in the centre of the track but, after repeated attempts to find a gap through rivals, Moore switched her towards the stands’ rail. Once in the clear, she produced a blistering turn of foot to cut down the placed horses.

O’Brien and Moore have now combined for five wins at this year’s meeting, with O’Brien moving on to a career total of 90 Royal Ascot successes.

O’Brien said: “Ryan gave Fairy Godmother an incredible ride. She’s an incredible filly, isn’t she? We thought she couldn’t get beat the first day, and couldn’t believe she got beat. Ryan said he was just going to teach her and educate her the next day, and take his time on her, and she did the same thing – he came from an impossible position and won well on the line [at Naas on 19th May]. What she did there today is incredible, and she’s only going to get better with every race. She will get stronger and will stay. She’s very exciting.

“Ryan was super-cool on her. He was worried where he was drawn [6] that he had no cover, which is why he was going to take his time, come over and come back, which is easier said than done, but he did it. It’s difficult to do that, and with everything not going right, still have her when you want her. He was brilliant.

“We knew Ryan was going to produce her late and we knew she had a devastating turn of foot because she showed it the last day – what she did then was very rare, but to come up another level and do it here is unbelievable.

“Ryan said he thought she was going to be a Moyglare filly, so seven would be no problem for her this year. She’s obviously exceptional. Our other filly, Heaven’s Gate, ran a stormer. We thought she was a good filly.”

Moore said: “I gave Fairy Godmother an impossible task and she got me out of a hole.

"It’s incredible that she was able to win from that position, so all credit to her. She is a very good filly.

"Down at the start she looked different class. She suggested that before she ran, and when she won last time. Today, that was a big performance."

Winning co-owner Michael Tabor: “I saw Fairy Godmother run last time and I said to Aidan, when you see that turn of foot, which she obviously has, you know she's a good animal. Today, she just showed how good she is.

"I want to mention the breeder, Paul McCartan, thanks to him. He knows how to breed, let's put it that way.

"It makes the adrenaline really high. That's what you look forward to. We have many horses, we've had some good horses, and some fantastic horses. Hopefully, she's in the category of a fantastic horse, because they are the things you look forward to.

"When you have champions, with Aidan producing them like he does, then it's very exciting. Once it becomes not exciting, then it's over."

Ollie Sangster said of Simmering: “I am delighted. Naturally, it’s tough to come so close. We were hopeful coming here. I’ve got a really good team at home and we were hopeful – she’d done really well from her debut to here, and that’s all you can do.”

Asked whether he thought for a moment that she had the race in the bag, he said: “A little bit. It always looked like she was going to get to Wayne’s filly [Heavens Gate], and obviously Ryan was in a bit of trouble and had to switch around, so it was just whether he was going to get to us or not. I am delighted and hopefully she can be a nice flag bearer for us this season.

“Jamie said that she has a lot of speed. He got off and he said you could think she’s tailor-made for something like the Lowther. I suppose we’ll just see how she comes out of this. She’s by Too Darn Hot, and I think she will stay seven, but she has got a lot of speed.”

Albany Stakes
£125,000 guaranteed, 2yo only, 6f, Class 1
16 ran
Going: Good to Firm

POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (6)    Fairy Godmother 2 9-2 A P O'Brien Ryan Moore 15/8F
2 (11) ¾ Simmering 2 9-2 Ollie Sangster Jamie Spencer 9/1
3 (17) nk Heavens Gate 2 9-2 A P O'Brien Wayne Lordan 8/1
4 (12) 2¾ Mountain Breeze 2 9-2 Charlie Appleby William Buick 9/4
5 (3) nk California Dreamer 2 9-2 Adrian Murray David Egan 20/1
6 (16) 1½ Royalty Bay 2 9-2 John & Sean Quinn Jason Hart 40/1
7 (13) 1 Twafeeg 2 9-2 Archie Watson Hollie Doyle 8/1
8 (14) hd Cradle Of Love 2 9-2 Joseph O'Brien Dylan McMonagle 50/1
9 (5) 4¼ Jayvee 2 9-2 Brian Ellison Chris Hayes 50/1
10 (10) ½ Substitute 2 9-2 Charlie Johnston Oisin Murphy 50/1
11 (8) ¾ Hot Darling 2 9-2 Amy Murphy Silvestre De Sousa 28/1
12 (9) 1½ Convo 2 9-2 Amy Murphy Tom Marquand 100/1
13 (7) 6 Nad Alshiba Snow 2 9-2 Michael Appleby Rossa Ryan 80/1
14 (2) ½ Kylie Of Lochalsh 2 9-2 Gay Kelleway Hayley Turner 150/1
15 (1) ½ Peregrine Falcon 2 9-2 Emmet Mullins Colin Keane 80/1
16 (4) 4¼ Burning Pine 2 9-2 Wesley A Ward Joel Rosario 40/1
NR 10 (15) Liberalised 2 9-2 K R Burke NON RUNNER

ALBANY STAKES WINNERS

YR/DATE GR WINNER TRAINER JOCKEY OWNER AGE/WGT SP

2023 3 PORTA FORTUNA Donnacha O'Brien Frankie Dettori Medallion/S Weston/B Fowler/Reeves T'Bs 2 9-02 5/1
2022 3 MEDITATE A P O'Brien Ryan Moore M Tabor & D Smith & Mrs J Magnier & Westerberg 2 9-02 5/2
2021 3 SANDRINE Andrew Balding David Probert Miss K Rausing 2 9-00 16/1
2020 3 DANDALLA Karl Burke Ben Curtis Nick Bradley Racing 28 & Elaine Burke 2-9-00 13/2
2019 3 DAAHYEH Roger Varian David Egan HH Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa 2-9-00 4/1F
2018 3 MAIN EDITION Mark Johnston James Doyle Saif Ali 2-9-00 7/1
2017 3 DIFFERENT LEAGUE Mauthieu Palussiere FR Antoine Hamelin Theresa Marnane 2-9-00 20/1
2016 3 BRAVE ANNA Aidan O’Brien IRE Seamie Heffernan Evie Stockwell 2-9-00 16/1
2015 3 ILLUMINATE Richard Hannon Richard Hughes Denford Stud 2-9-00 4/1F
2014 3 CURSORY GLANCE Roger Varian Andrea Atzeni Merry Fox Stud Limited 2-9-00 14/1
2013 3 KIYOSHI Charlie Hills Jamie Spencer Qatar Racing Limited 2-8-12 8/1
2012 3 NEWFANGLED John Gosden William Buick HRH Princess Haya of Jordan 2-8-12 7/4F
2011 3 SAMITAR Mick Channon Jamie Spencer Nick & Olga Dhandsa/John & Zoe Webster 2-8-12 16/1
2010 3 MEMORY Richard Hannon snr Richard Hughes Highclere Thoroughbred Racing 2-8-12 15/2
2009 3 HABAAYIB Ed Dunlop Richard Hills Hamdan Al Maktoum 2-8-12 16/1
2008 3 CUIS GHAIRE Jim Bolger IRE Kevin Manning Jackie Bolger & Harry Dobson 2-8-12 8/11F
2007 3 NIJOOM DUBAI Mick Channon Jamie Spencer Jaber Abdullah 2-8-12 50/1
2006 3 SANDER CAMILLO Jeremy Noseda Frankie Dettori Sir Robert Ogden 2-8-12 4/1F
*2005 3 LA CHUNGA Jeremy Noseda Jamie Spencer Sir Robert Ogden 2-8-09 10/1
2004 L JEWEL IN THE SAND Richard Hannon snr Richard Hughes Sand Associates 2-8-11 10/1
2003 L SILCA’S GIFT Mick Channon Steve Drowne Aldridge Racing Ltd 2-8-11 5/1
2002 L DUTY PAID David Elsworth Richard Quinn Jeff Smith 2-8-11 11/1
*run at York