Nassau Stakes: French Oaks hero Blue Rose Cen set to make British debut at Glorious Goodwood
Christopher Head's stable star Blue Rose Cen won the Prix Marcel Boussac as a two-year-old; she has since won a remarkable French 1000 Guineas and Oaks double; Head revealed she is likely to run at Glorious Goodwood in August
Tuesday 27 June 2023 08:27, UK
Blue Rose Cen is set to make her British bow in the Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood on August 3.
Christopher Head's French star completed a rare treble at Chantilly when strolling to victory in the Prix de Diane earlier this month, adding to victories in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and last year's Marcel Boussac - a feat previously achieved by the likes of Zarkava, Divine Proportions and Allez France.
Blue Rose Cen, who has won seven of her nine outings, was stepping up to an extended 10 furlongs for the first time at Chantilly and Head is eager to stick at that trip as the Churchill filly takes on older rivals for the first time on the Sussex Downs.
- Frankie Dettori set to take in Melbourne Cup on farewell tour
- Hukum set for King George after missing Royal Ascot
He told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast: "The main idea is to still keep up with the challenges. The owner has always been bold and daring in racing challenges and we have been talking about the next stage for Blue Rose Cen and he wants to go to the Nassau to do the same as Nashwa did with the Prix de Diane and Nassau double and we really have great faith in her with that programme.
"I don't think we have got to the limit of that filly yet. I still want to encounter the older fillies without getting into a new distance, so we'll keep with the distance we know she is best at right now and try to encounter a new panel of fillies to be able to know if she is capable of getting into the Vermeille and then we will pretty much know if she is an Arc or an Opera [horse].
Trending
- Liverpool latest: 'Trent tells club he wants to play for Real Madrid'
- Transfer Centre LIVE! Wolves boss: Cunha will get opportunities to leave
- World Darts Championship Q+A: Have your say ahead of Littler's return LIVE!
- PL Predictions: Ravenous Liverpool to feast on West Ham
- World Darts Championship schedule: Littler, MVG headline Saturday night
- Humphries: I'm one world title away from matching Wright's career
- Man Utd latest: European giants reject chance to sign Rashford
- One player every Premier League club must sign in January!
- Aspinall cruises past Gilding into last 16 at Worlds
- Newcastle latest: Magpies enter race to sign ex-Premier League defender
"Even if she is not in the race, it is a possibility she can still be supplemented into the Arc. Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals of Yeguada Centurion is a really a bold and daring individual, embracing challenges, so we're trying to do our best to get the horses to those kind of challenges, and that's why we're happy to go to the Nassau."
Head also trains Big Rock for the same owner, but he failed in his Classic mission when beaten three-and-a-half lengths by Ace Impact in the Prix du Jockey Club.
That was his first attempt over further than nine furlongs and Head feels his future now lies over a mile.
He added: "He's pretty much a mile horse or an 1,800-metre horse and we learned that in the Jockey Club. We will put him onto another path which is the Jacques Le Marois and probably the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes too."
