Fairy Glen staged a stunning reversal of fortunes in the Qatar Prix de Royallieu, turning a last‑place position into a winning finish and edging out the heavily‑favoured Sunly to claim a Group One triumph for the Newmarket training partnership of Simon and Ed Crisford. The race unfolded over a mile and six furlongs, with Mickael Barzalona guiding Fairy Glen from the rear while a solid early tempo was set by Consent, Cameo, Sugar Island and Amelia Earhart. As the field settled into a respectable rhythm, the five‑year‑old filly began to make her move, delivering a powerful challenge as the finish line approached. Sunly, who entered the contest as the short‑odds favourite at 5‑6, had taken the lead with a furlong remaining.
However, Barzalona timed his run perfectly, guiding Fairy Glen on a wide path around the outside. The filly surged forward in the final strides, catching Sunly just in time to snatch the victory by a neck. Amelia Earhart, who had previously finished third in the St Leger, fought on valiantly to secure third place, finishing a further three‑quarters of a length behind the winner. This win adds a Group One accolade to Fairy Glen’s impressive résumé.
Earlier in the spring she captured the Group Two Balanchine and the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan, and she had placed fifth in the Prix Vicomtesse Vigier behind Caballo De Mar in May. A recent second‑place finish in a Listed race at Yarmouth served as a useful warm‑up for the Prix de Royallieu. After the race, Ed Crisford reflected on the filly’s preparation and Barzalona’s tactics: "Exactly what Mickael said would happen did happen – he mentioned they’d get racing a long way out.
He knows her very well from Dubai and wanted to give her a patient ride. They did get racing a long way out, he was following Sunly and she’s a game filly. She’s never going to win by two or three lengths, but she gets the job done." Crisford added that Fairy Glen probably should have won at Yarmouth a few weeks earlier, noting that it was her first run after a summer break and the connections deliberately avoided a hard test to keep her fresh for the Prix de Royallieu. "She’s a really good filly and she’s now a Group One winner.
She will be retired at the end of this year; whether there’s another race for her is still being discussed. She’s entered for Ascot’s Champions Day and there might be a local target as well.
We’ll speak with her owner and see if we can fit in another start before she goes to stud." In other news, Wimbledon Hawkeye continued his promising first season for owner George Scott by winning the Qatar Prix Dollar at Longchamp. The son of Kameko, a former Royal Lodge winner for James Owen, was acquired privately by the Victorious Forever operation during the off‑season. Since then he has justified the investment, picking up a Group Three victory at Deauville and finishing a nose behind Hotazhell in last month’s Irish Champion Stakes.
Ridden once again by Christophe Soumillon, Wimbledon Hawkeye proved the class of the field in the Group Two contest, prevailing by half a length over Zaydann. Soumillon’s partnership with the colt has been praised by Scott, who said, "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 about how fresh he was, but he travelled into it like a really good horse." While the horse’s odds for the Qatar Racing Champion Stakes were dramatically reduced, a run on Ascot’s Champions Day is not on the agenda. Scott explained the strategic shift: "I think he’ll be perfect for Bahrain.
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." Speaking about his relationship with jockey Christophe Soumillon, Scott admitted, "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 Prix de Royallieu delivered a memorable upset as Fairy Glen proved that experience, patience and a well‑timed ride can overturn even the strongest betting markets. Meanwhile, Wimbledon Hawkeye’s continued success underscores the depth of talent in the current generation of thoroughbreds, setting the stage for further international campaigns as the season progresses.