Nezwaah

She is not exactly under the radar any more, but Nezwaah put up a scintillating performance to win the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh on Sunday.

Always travelling well, she moved up nicely among horses for Andrea Atzeni at the top of the home straight. Her rider had to wait for a gap but, once he got it, and asked his filly to quicken through it, the response was impressive, and the Dubawi filly came clear of good fillies to post a really impressive victory.

This was a big step up in grade for Roger Varian’s filly, from winning a listed race at Ayr on her seasonal debut into a Group 1 race, but she proved that she was well up to the task. Favourite Journey was disappointing, she was reportedly in season, and Zhukova may have under-performed a little. However, Nezwaah could not have been any more impressive than she was in winning, and the filly who chased her home, Rain Goddess, is a high-class filly who was a little unlucky not to win the Sandringham Stakes at Royal Ascot on her previous run.

Nezwaah has always been highly regarded by Roger Varian. Second to So Mi Dar in a listed race at Yarmouth last September, and not beaten far in the Grade 1 EP Taylor Stakes at Woodbine on her final run last season after missing the break, she shaped like a classy filly in winning a listed race at Ayr on her debut this term, and her trainer obviously felt that it was worthwhile giving her a shot at a Group 1 contest. Now that she has won it, she could go on again from this. She has reportedly always worked well at home, and this was just her ninth run ever. It is interesting that her trainer thought enough of her to give her an entry in the Juddmonte International, but she is also in the Nassau Stakes, and that looks like a logical next target now, over the Pretty Polly distance of 10 furlongs.

2^nd July 2017