Hollie Doyle wins first Classic on French Oaks heroine Nashwa

A jubilant Hollie Doyle after winning the Prix de Diane on Nashwa at Chantilly on Sunday

Racing Post

Sunday: Prix de Diane Longines, Chantilly

Hollie Doyle recorded the biggest success of her career as Nashwa landed the Prix de Diane at Chantilly on Sunday.

Third in the Oaks at Epsom, the John and Thady Gosden-trained raider had a prominent pitch throughout under Doyle and kept on gamely to repel the fast finishing La Parisienne, with Rosacea crossing the line in third.

Bred by owner Imad Alsagar, Nashwa made her debut at Newmarket in October and finished third before winning at Haydock, then struck in a Listed contest at Newbury in May.

Connections were concerned about her stamina for the Oaks, but went for gold and she lost little in defeat, finishing a fine third.

Back down in trip for the French equivalent, Nashwa travelled powerfully and Doyle was able to seal a narrow victory.

Hollie Doyle: rider has quickly become one of the weighing room’s most prolific operators

Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Doyle, retained by Alsagar, has quickly become one of the weighing room’s most prolific operators and partnered 116 winners in 2019, which is more than any other female rider had managed in Britain.

She bettered that with 151 in 2020 and took her tally to 172 last year, while that period has also included Group 1 triumphs on Glen Shiel and Trueshan.

The 25-year-old, whose husband Tom Marquand also rode in the Diane aboard Zellie, was third in the 2020 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, which came months after a famous five-timer at Windsor.

A first Classic will rank right alongside those achievements and Doyle’s mount is 20-1 (from 25) with Betfair and Paddy Power for October’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

John Gosden hailed Doyle, saying: “She’s very talented. Imad asked me a few years ago about having a jockey and he showed me the list and I said, ‘Hollie Doyle’. I said horses run for her and she’s very meticulous – a fabulous rider and a very serious person with a great sense of humour.

“She’s got a bundle of talent and Imad has been rewarded. This win should get on the front pages.”

‘It was never the plan to be front rank’

Regarding Nashwa, Gosden added: “She had a hard race in the Oaks because she was running beyond her distance. That made it harder to come back as the last 50 yards in the Oaks was hard, but she’s shown a great mental attitude.

“The race was not as we planned; it was never the plan to be front rank, but I said to Hollie that if she was in front not to pull back because you’ve the whole bend to settle.

“It was a great performance to come back after 16 days. She got stopped three furlongs out at Epsom. She didn’t have a hard race.

“Imad said if we were happy with Nashwa to run and he did something very important. I asked if we could fly over and van her back.

“It’s very hard getting horses to France now and I don’t run as many as I used to. Customs is difficult and a six-hour journey can become a ten or 12-hour journey.

“If we tried to travel in the heat yesterday she wouldn’t have won. We flew in and will van home – it’s made a huge difference.”

Prix de Diane Longines full result

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FIRST PUBLISHED 3:14PM, JUN 19 2022