'I wasn't surprised but it was just a relief' - Nashwa powers through the rain to land Falmouth Stakes under Hollie Doyle

Nashwa made a stunning return to Group 1 company, as well as a mile, when running away with the Falmouth Stakes on a rainswept day two of the July festival.

After successive defeats in lesser company over longer trips, the daughter of Frankel handled a significant drop in trip for the first time in more than a year in style when accounting for Remarquee and hot favourite Via Sistina.

Connections of last year's French Oaks and Nassau Stakes winner took the bold move of supplementing her into the race at a cost of £20,000, but were more than £145,000 up on the deal once Nashwa hit the rising ground.

Happy to sit well off a pace set by Astral Beau and last year's winner Prosperous Voyage, the Hollie Doyle-ridden Nashwa sailed out of the Dip just as she had in a racecourse gallop at the track before her previous outing at Newcastle.

The four-year-old was cut to 3-1 (from 8) by Paddy Power to reprise her win of a year ago at Goodwood on August 3.

'He thought I must be smoking something'

Joint-trainer John Gosden said: "She travelled well in behind off a good pace and showed her class and acceleration out of the Dip, and luckily the gap she went through didn't close.

"It's taken time for her to get going through the spring and she's needed racing to get her to this level. We ran her at Newcastle when she finished second, but she has really come to herself in the past week or so. I think Teddy Grimthorpe wondered what I had been smoking when I phoned him and suggested supplementing her for this race but it all worked out well in the end."

"She's a big girl and is built like a colt, so handles some ease in the ground, and hopefully it's on to Goodwood."

Hollie Doyle, who was landing the seventh Group 1 win of her career, said: "I wasn't surprised by that, but it was just a relief really as Imad [Al Sagar, owner] took the decision to keep her in training another year, which is a big risk with so much value at stake.

"It's great to see how effective she was over a mile, which has opened up a new corridor for her. She felt better than ever and has just taken two runs to get where she wants to be. She's tightened up every time I've sat on her."

Winning connections: John Gosden (left) and Hollie Doyle (centre) with their Falmouth Stakes prizesCredit: Mark Cranham

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to winning owner Imad Al Sagar, said: "That was fantastic. Obviously, we were a bit disappointed after she got beat at Newcastle, but John and Thady Gosden thought she had come out of that very well, so we decided to supplement– and it's come off.

"We saw her as a ten-furlong filly before this, so she wasn't in any mile races, but this has worked out perfectly. She doesn't need soft ground but handles it, and it's great that she's got another win at the highest level."

Ralph Beckett, trainer of runner-up Remarquee and Prosperous Voyage (seventh), said: "I was really pleased with Remarquee. She's getting more professional with racing, as I hoped she might. It's a trait of the family, certainly. It was a good effort from her, but John [Gosden] got it right again.

"She's in the Prix Rothschild. We put her in that this week, so we'll see how that goes. She's in the Matron, there's the Sun Chariot as well, and ground doesn't appear to matter much to her. We'll see how we go and take the chances when they arise, but I'd say we'll keep to a mile for the time being. The ground went against the other filly."

Much of the pre-race chat was whether recent Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes winner Via Sistina would run, but steady rain from late morning allowed her to take her chance.

Trainer George Boughey said: "It was the step back to a mile and she just got tapped for toe. Jamie [Spencer] only gave her one flick and I was pleased to see her stay on well as she looked like she was booked for fifth or sixth at one point, but up the hill she stayed on well all the way.

"She'll have a bit of a break now and then we'll prep her for the autumn back to ten furlongs. You won't see her over a mile again."

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