Glorious Goodwood continued overnight and the Group I Nassau Stakes (1m2f) had a hot favourite in champion French filly Blue Rose Cen, but a luckless run saw an upset winner that was a new G1 winner for champion sire Dubawi.
Trained by Roger Varian and ridden by Jim Crowley, Shadwell homebred four year-old mare Al Husn had a great winning record coming into this assignment, but had never been tried in Group I company.
She rose to the challenge scoring a half length win over Group I winning mares Above the Curve (American Pharoah) and Nashwa (Frankel) with Blue Rose Cen a troubled fourth.
“Al Husn is a remarkable filly. The truth is none of us really knew how good she was, because she's one of those who just beats what's in front of her and she's never particularly flashy. She's got such an admirable attitude - she's tough,” said Roger Varian.
“She's well entered up, she's in the Prix Jean Romanet in two-and-a-half weeks time in Deauville. She's in the Yorkshire Oaks, if we fancy going up to a mile-and-a-half, I'm not sure about that. Later in the year, races like the Prix de l'Opera I'm sure will be considered and who knows, perhaps something at Santa Anita for her.”
Al Husn has the overall record of seven wins from 10 starts and is the best of two winners from Hadaatha, a stakes-winning Sea the Stars mare from Group I placed stakes-winner Hathrah.
Al Husn is the 54th Group I winner for champion sire Dubawi and is his fourth this year joining In Italian, Lord North and Modern Games.
The Dubawi x Sea the Stars nick has produced nine winners from 11 runners with four stakes-winners including another Group I winner in Eldar Eldarov.
The reverse of this nick producer another new stakes-winner on the Goodwood card with progressive three year-old Sea the Stars colt Desert Crown winning the Group III Gordon Stakes (1m 4f) for King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Bred by The Queen, Desert Hero is trained by William Haggas and scored a neck win for Tommy Marquand taking his overall record to four wins from six starts.
Desert Hero is the first winner for Desert Breeze, an unraced full sister to multiple Group winner Dartmouth and half-sister to Group II winner Manatee and stakes-winner Gaterie with two more Dubawi stakes-winners in the family in Siskany and Warren Point.
Desert Hero is the 108th stakes-winner for Sea the Stars and is his third from a daughter of Dubawi.
