Donnacha O’Brien strikes with his first British runner in famous Nassau Stakes
DONNACHA O’BRIEN’S very first runner in Britain was a winning one when French Oaks heroine Fancy Blue landed the Qatar Nassau Stakes – the day three highlight of Glorious Goodwood.
Ridden by Ryan Moore, the filly outbattled fellow Irish challenger One Voice, trained by his father, Aidan, in a thrilling finish to this elite Group One race.
And it continues the remarkable rise of O’Brien, 21, who featured in The Yorkshire Post yesterday as he discussed his hopes as a trainer.
He only saddled his first runners earlier this year after a successful stint in the saddle, including Classic and Group One successes, before his height – and weight – got the better of him.
A modest O’Brien, watching from his stables in Tipperary, was thrilled by the outcome and has some lofty targets for this Coolmore-owned and bred filly.
“She’s unbelievable. You never expect in your first year to get one like her. But when you have the pedigrees that Coolmore are breeding you always have a chance. I’m very lucky, he said.
“We’ll give her a little break now, she’s had a busy start to the year and there’s not much for her for a few weeks.
“We might look at Irish Champions weekend to start her back. Then we’ll probably go to Arc weekend, where she has the option of the Opera or the Arc itself. After that it will probably be either the Breeders’ Cup or a race in Japan in the middle of November.”
Earlier Aidan O’Brien took the Gordon Stakes courtesy of Mogul. A noted trial for the St Leger, the Ballydoyle maestro then indicated that Irish Derby hero Santiago was likely to be his main hope at Doncaster.