 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |
Fairy Godmother pulled off a remarkable maneuver to break free from a pack of horses and secure a victory in the opening race on day four, the Gr.3 Albany Stakes.
Jockey Ryan Moore confessed that the filly had accomplished what appeared to be an almost impossible task, while trainer Aidan O’Brien visibly exhaled in relief as she galloped across the finish line, claiming victory by three-quarters of a length ahead of Ollie Sangster’s Simmering.
Heavens Gate, another horse from the same stable as the winner, finished a neck further behind in third place.
At the halfway mark, Fairy Godmother was positioned in the middle of the track, but after several attempts to find an opening among competitors, Moore steered her towards the stands’ rail. Once she had a clear path, she exhibited a powerful burst of speed, overtaking the other horses to secure the win.
O’Brien and Moore have now accumulated five victories at this year’s event, with O’Brien reaching a career total of 90 Royal Ascot triumphs.
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.
“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.
“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. 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.”
“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.”
1st- Fairy Godmother (Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier) Aidan O’Brien / Ryan Moore
2nd- Simmering (Mrs Bv Sangster, Justin Casse & Dr J Berk) Ollie Sangster / Jamie Spencer
3rd- Heavens Gate (Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier) Aidan O’Brien / Wayne Lordan