The fastest son of Frankel. Winner of the prestigious Gr.1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Nathaniel sired another new Stakes winner and Classic prospect today, with Perfect Clarity landing the Betfred Mobile Oaks Trial Fillies’ Stakes at Lingfield today for owners Dr Bridget Drew and David J Keast.
Trainer Clive Cox had made no secret of his regard for the filly beforehand and was delighted to see her follow-up her encouraging debut win as a two-year-old last year and maintain her unbeaten record.
He said: “She was always very nice and I’m just very pleased. She was a little bit on it and we’ve had to be careful, and the lads at home have done a great job. We’ve just brought her along quietly and everything has been very good. I’m very happy.
“I’ll talk to Bridget [Drew, part-owner] but I think we’ll be Epsom bound now. She’s balanced and it was nice to come here over a proper trip. She’s still learning and I think with maturity she could be very special as she’s got a bit of size and scope. There weren’t too many Nathaniel first-time-out winners last year, and he’s a wonderful sire. Clearly she’s an exciting filly.”
He added: “She’s soaking up everything here today. On her first run she was a bit like a rabbit in the headlights afterwards. Today I’m far more pleased – just her body language coming off the course was far more at home.”
Jockey Adam Kirby was equally taken and said: “She’s a very smart filly and we knew that from what she did last year. We thought this would be right up her street as a good stepping stone, and hopefully she’ll go forward again now. She’s got speed – she has a turn of foot – and also gets the trip no problem.”
Perfect Clarity was bred by Bluehills Racing Limited and is the third foal out of the Listed-placed Shamardal mare Clarietta, also dam of Stakes horses Clarentine and Law Power, and a two-year-old full-sister to Perfect Clarity.
The three-year-old filly is not the only Lingfield Oaks Trial winner in the family, as her dam is a half-sister to Cassydora who landed the race in 2005 and later went on to win a Grade 3 in the US and prove herself a smart broodmare.
Newsells resident stallion Nathaniel is now the sire of 16 Stakes horses from his first two crops, headed up by the best filly in Europe last year, Enable, who’s own Oaks victory kicked off a run of five straight G.1 wins.
Watch the recent Racing Post video on Nathaniel and interview with Julian Dollar, general nanager at Newsells Park Stud: