Amid all the superlatives Aidan O'Brien used to describe Whirl after she powered through the driving rain in the Nassau Stakes (G1) July 31 at Goodwood Racecourse, he landed upon "understated" as the most appropriate word to characterize her.
She came into the season as something of a support act, not burdened by the same expectations of stablemates such as Lake Victoria, but she has since fought her way up the Ballydoyle pecking order, forging a reputation built not on hype but bravery in the heat of battle—and that was certainly the case as she stretched clear here.
Tougher tests lie in wait for the daughter of Wootton Bassett but it is hard to imagine her facing more challenging conditions. Due to a thunderstorm that forced racegoers to seek shelter in the grandstand from biblical rain, the race was subject to a 10-minute delay due to lightning and the sky rumbled ominously as they headed to post.
Undeterred, the Coolmore team watched the big screen from the unsaddling area, huddled under umbrellas, as the runners set off under a rare flag start due to safety concerns. They were never given a moment of worry as Ryan Moore burst into the lead and stayed there, emerging from the gloom to win by five lengths on the heavy ground.
After witnessing another Moore masterclass in simplicity, O'Brien spoke from a sodden winner's enclosure with genuine fondness for an improving filly who seems to have taken even the master trainer by surprise. He was also unable to remember a group 1 beginning without stalls, describing the unconventional start as "unbelievable".
"She's understated—that's just her nature," O'Brien said. "She's been coming along in the shadows and nothing seems to bother her. She's hardy and keeps turning up. She's pretty unusual and has an unbelievable mind. She didn't even know she'd had a race."
Whirl showed a fair level of form last year, ending her juvenile campaign with a group 3 victory, but then disappointed on her seasonal reappearance. That proved to be a minor hiccup as she bounced back in the Musidora Stakes (G3) before finishing a neck second in the Epsom Oaks (G1) and winning a group 1 of her own in the Pretty Polly Stakes (G1) at the Curragh.
There were signs she could be above average and O'Brien said: "In the spring when the fillies were working, we sent them all up the gallops and who do you think came out in front? Her. And that was in the spring. She's an absolute dream. She gets a mile and a half, handles all types of ground, and Ryan gave her a lovely ride."
Whirl was beaten by Minnie Hauk at Epsom Downs Racecourse, but has she now overtaken her stablemate? "They're obviously very good fillies," O'Brien said, offering a diplomatic response. "Minnie Hauk is a great traveler and you probably won't see the best of her until she goes up in class against older horses when the tempo is strong.
"She has a very high cruising speed and we haven't seen that in her races but we have at home. Even when she followed this filly at Epsom, she was finding it easy but you don't know what Whirl could be either and you probably won't until they meet again. Ryan was confident he was going to catch her in the Oaks but she just kept coming."
It would be a fascinating showdown but one we will have to wait for. Minnie Hauk is being trained for the Yorkshire Oaks (G1), while the Prix Vermeille (G1), Irish Champion Stakes (G1), Champion Stakes (G1), and Breeders' Cup were all mentioned for Whirl, who was also cut to 7-1 joint-favorite alongside Kalpana for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) in October.
"Minnie Hauk is going to York at the moment so this filly wouldn't go," O'Brien added. "Whirl is straightforward. Soft or heavy ground doesn't bother her. She could go to the Arc but she'll have so many options. She'll have a couple of easy weeks now and then we'll decide."
Whirl gained an automatic paid berth into in the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) at Del Mar via the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In. As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees and provide a travel allowance for the winner of the Nassau to compete in the World Championships. Additionally, she earned automatic entry to the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes (G2T) early next year at Gulfstream Park. That automatic entry includes a $25,000 travel allowance and other perks.
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