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Two-timer Group 1 scorer Nashwa could make her first outing to Ireland with the filly looks set to miss Royal Ascot.
Two-timer Group 1 scorer Nashwa could make her first outing to Ireland with the filly looks set to miss Royal Ascot.
The daughter of Frankel enjoyed an excellent 2022 with four victories throughout the season, climbing the grades quickly during the first half of the year and recording wins in the Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) at Chantilly last June in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.
The Imad Alsagar owned filly was not disgraced when continuing her international travels with a second at Longchamp in the Group 1 Prix de l'Opera on Arc weekend and a fourth contesting the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland in America.
She was surprisingly disappointing on her seasonal reappearance last month in France when fourth of six in the Group 2 Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud.
Teddy Grimthorpe, Al Sagar's racing manager, indicated the top-class filly will miss Royal Ascot in two weeks' time and travel to the Curragh for the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes on Saturday 1st July. He said:
"She has come out the Prix Corrida fine. She needed it and had a good blow afterwards,"
"Sometimes these older horses do take a little more time to come than we think. It wasn't quite what we were hoping for, but the main thing is she has come out of it well."
"The Prince of Wales's is an option but I would say, at the moment, talking to Imad this morning and to John [Gosden], the preferred option would be the Pretty Polly.
"I hope it might be easier to win! There are going to be other opportunities for her to take on colts, but if I think we can try to get her back on track for the Pretty Polly, I think that would be definitely the preferred option. John and Imad are both happy with that, so I think we will probably aim there."
"There are some nice problems to have. She is obviously already a dual Group One, Classic-winning filly, so we have to chase those similar big prizes."
At the time of writing, Nashwa has four entries: the Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes, the Eclipse at Sandown and the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in September.
