Fairy Glen staged a dramatic reversal of fortunes in the Qatar Prix de Royallieu, surging from the back of the field to overtake the odds‑on favourite Sunly and secure a Group One victory 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 strong lineup 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 moderate, allowing the front‑runners to settle into a comfortable rhythm while Fairy Glen conserved energy for a late surge. With just a furlong left to run, Sunly, who had been backed heavily into favourite status at 5‑6 odds, took the lead and appeared poised to extend her dominance.
However, Barzalona timed his move perfectly, guiding Fairy Glen around the outside and launching a decisive challenge in the home straight. The mare responded with a powerful finishing kick, edging Sunly by a neck at the line. Amelia Earhart, the St Leger third‑place finisher, held on for third, staying a further three‑quarters of a length behind the winner. The triumph is especially significant for Fairy Glen, who is slated for retirement at the close of the season.
Earlier in the spring, she captured the Group Two Balanchine at Newmarket and added the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan to her résumé. In May, she finished a respectable fifth in the Prix Vicomtesse Vigier behind Caballo De Mar, and a month earlier she had placed second in a Listed race at Yarmouth. Ed Criswell reflected on the race strategy, noting that Barzalona had been instructed to keep the filly relaxed and let her settle before making a late run. "Exactly what Mickael said would happen did happen – he said they'd get racing a long way out," Criswell said.
"He knows her very 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 also highlighted Fairy Glen's preparation, explaining that the Yarmouth run was deliberately gentle after a summer break. "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 added. "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 related news, Wimbledon Hawkeye continued his impressive debut campaign for owner George Scott by winning the Qatar Prix Dollar at Longchamp. The son of the 2021 champion Kameko was acquired privately by the Victorious Forever operation during the off‑season and has already justified the purchase.
After a Group Three victory at Deauville, the colt narrowly missed out on the Irish Champion Stakes, finishing a nose behind Hotazhell. With Christophe Soumillon aboard, Wimbledon Hawkeye proved the superior horse in the Group Two contest, beating Zaydann by half a length. Scott praised the colt's class and resilience: "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 also sparked speculation about the horse's future campaign.
While his odds for the Qatar Racing Champion Stakes were sharply reduced, an appearance on Ascot's Champions Day is not in the plans. Instead, Scott indicated that Wimbledon Hawkeye is likely to head to Bahrain, where Sheikh Nasser has expressed interest.
"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," Scott said. Scott also shared a light‑hearted comment about his relationship with jockey Christophe Soumillon, admitting a personal admiration for the rider: "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 with Fairy Glen's stunning late charge, while Wimbledon Hawkeye's victory underscored his rising status on the international stage. Both performances will be remembered as key highlights of the Qatar racing festival and set the tone for the upcoming European flat‑season, with fans now looking ahead to Ascot, Bahrain and beyond for the next chapters in these horses' distinguished careers.