Fairy Glen staged a dramatic reversal of fortunes in the Qatar Prix de Royallieu, surging from the back of the field to claim a decisive victory over the odds‑on favourite Sunly and securing a Group One triumph for the Newmarket training partnership of Simon and Ed Criswell. The five‑year‑old mare, under the guidance of jockey Mickael Barzalona, was positioned at the rear of a competitive field that also featured Consent, Cameo, Sugar Island and Amelia Earhart. As the race unfolded over a distance of one mile and six furlongs, the early pace was set by the front‑runners, but Fairy Glen conserved her energy before launching a powerful late charge down the home straight.
Sunly, who entered the race as a strong favourite at 5‑6 odds, took the lead with a furlong to go, appearing poised to add another Group One to her record. However, Barzalona timed his move impeccably, guiding Fairy Glen around the outside and delivering her a decisive neck‑length advantage at the finish line. Amelia Earhart, the third‑place finisher in the St Leger, fought valiantly to hold on for third, finishing a further three‑quarters of a length behind the winner. The victory holds particular significance for Fairy Glen, who is slated for retirement at the close of the season.
Earlier in the spring she captured the Group Two Balanchine and the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan, and in May she placed fifth in the Prix Vicomtesse Vigier behind Caballo De Mar. Her preparation for the Prix de Royallieu included a runner‑up finish in a Listed race at Yarmouth the previous month. After the race, trainer Ed Criswell reflected on Barzalona’s tactics, noting, “Exactly what Mickael said would happen did happen – he said they'd get racing a long way out.
He knows her really well from Dubai and just wanted to take his time on her. They did get racing a long way out, he was following Sunly through and she's a game filly. She's never going to win by two or three lengths, but she gets the job done.” Criswell added that Fairy Glen’s performance at Yarmouth was a strong indicator of her readiness, saying, “She probably should have won at Yarmouth a couple of weeks ago.
It was her first run after a summer break and we didn’t want to give her a hard race because this was the aim.” He praised the mare’s consistency and class, noting, “She’s a really good filly and she’s won a Group One. She will be retired at the end of this year, whether there’s another race for her… she is in at Ascot (on Champions Day) and there might be something back here. We’ll talk to her owner, but we might be able to fit another race in before she goes to stud.” In other news from the Qatar meeting, Wimbledon Hawkeye continued his impressive debut campaign for owner George Scott with a win in the Qatar Prix Dollar at Longchamp. The son of the acclaimed Kameko was privately purchased by the Victorious Forever operation during the off‑season and has quickly justified the investment.
After a Group Three victory at Deauville and a narrow nose defeat to Hotazhell in last month’s Irish Champion Stakes, Wimbledon Hawkeye entered the Group Two contest as the clear favorite, with Christophe Soumillon aboard. He justified the market’s confidence, pulling away to win by half a length over Zaydann. Scott praised his charge, stating, “He’s a class horse – he’s proven that time and time again this year.
He was a bit fresh beforehand and I was a bit apprehensive how fresh he was, but he travelled into it like a really good horse.” The win further lowered Wimbledon Hawkeye’s odds for the Qatar Racing Champion Stakes, though a trip to Ascot’s Champions Day is not currently on the agenda. Instead, Scott indicated the horse’s next target is the Bahrain International, saying, “Shaikh Nasser has put his foot down, there’ll be no Champion Stakes. I want to do what the boss wants to do and he’s right – we want to take a fresh horse to Shaikh Nasser’s home. He was bought for Bahrain so this is all a bonus really.
I’ll give him a week in the field when he gets home and the Bahrain International is going to be the perfect race for him.” Reflecting on his partnership with jockey Christophe Soumillon, Scott added a personal note: “It’s cool to be associated with Christophe. He’s not someone I know very well and I’ve had a bit of a man crush on him since he started riding! He’s got that charisma like Oisin (Murphy) and Frankie (Dettori) – they’re just one‑offs.” Overall, the Qatar meeting delivered a blend of surprise outcomes and reaffirmed talent, with Fairy Glen’s stunning upset underscoring the unpredictable nature of top‑level racing, while Wimbledon Hawkeye’s continued ascent hints at a promising international campaign ahead. The racing community can look forward to further developments as both horses approach the final stages of their respective seasons, with Fairy Glen’s retirement looming and Wimbledon Hawkeye poised for potential success on the Middle Eastern stage.