WINNING machine Nazeef rolled to a ready success in the Sun Chariot at Newmarket.
The John Gosden-trained mare preserved her 100% record over a mile as she saw off a red-hot field under Jim Crowley in the big Group 1 – giving her yard a huge boost on the eve of the Arc.
The four-year-old, who is now 6-6 over eight furlongs, had suffered defeats on her two most recent starts – but both were over 1m2f.
She was back at her best trip and always travelling sweetly under Crowley, who has enjoyed an incredible 2020.
She was produced to challenge two furlongs from home and after a good tussle with Cloak Of Spirits she began to assert inside the final 100 yards and galloped clear to win by a length of a half.
Half Light (14-1) ran on for second place with the gutsy Cloak Of Spirits (28-1) back in third.
It was a welcome big-race victory for team Gosden with Enable and Stradivarius set to tackle the Arc at Longchamp in less than 24 hours.
Gosden said: “She handled this ground today, Jim said after two furlongs he knew he was alright.
“But when (she was beaten) in France last time it was completely bottomless and Frankie said she was sliding everywhere.
“She has come back well here. She has won the Falmouth and now this and has shown great courage. I though she asserted well in the last 50 yards.
“Sheikh Hamdan kept her in training with the idea of winning a Listed race which she did straight away at Kempton. She went on from there and won the Duke Of Cambridge and then the Falmouth, so she is pretty amazing.
“She is very tough, whether Sheikh Hamdan would like to run her again this year or keep her fresh for something like the Queen Anne, there are a lot of options.”
Betfair trimmed Nazeef into 10-1 from 16s for the QEII at Ascot on October 17.
Make that a perfect 6-6 over a mile for the brilliant Nazeef
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— Sun Racing (@SunRacing) October 3, 2020
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