Ballydoyle-owned filly Minding raced to her sixth Group 1 win with a victory in the Qatar Nassau Stakes (Gr1) on the fifth day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival yesterday.
After travelling at the back of the field beside Al Shaqab Racing’s Jemayel, she came down in the middle of the home straight. The Aidan O’Brien-trained filly had a minor tiff with Godolphin’s Beautiful Romance and did not have a smooth passage.
Minding, who was coming off a victory in the Pretty Polly Stakes (Gr1) last month, finally took a clear advantage and detached herself easily towards the post.
In second place came Cheveley Park Stud-owned Queen’s Trust, also seen at the back during the race.
She was not worried by Jemayel’s comeback, who finished fast to take the third place in the competition.
Jockey Ryan Moore said: “It was always going to be a messy sort of a race today. It was just a case of keeping it as simple as we could, she has an awful lot of class and was only doing what she had to do. She’s a very special filly to keep coming back like she does, she’s run in seven Group Ones and won six of them.
“It’s hard to compare (horses), it’s hard to know how good she is; she’s doing it over a variety of trips and only does what she has to do.”
Whereas trainer Aidan O’Brien said: “We’ve been very happy with her at home and she’s thrived from race to race. Physically she’s getting stronger, and she has a super mind. It can get messy in those small fields, but Ryan handled it great.
“He said she did what she had to do and has become very professional. We can now look at York and the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, but there is also France — she’s probably ready to go down most roads. A mile, a mile and a quarter, and a mile and a half all come alike to her.”
