Whirl Earns Berth in G1 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf

Favored Filly Captures G1 Nassau Thursday at Goodwood
Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $150,000

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Mrs. John Magnier’s Whirl overcame challenging conditions to score a front-running five-length victory in Thursday’s Visit Qatar Nassau Stakes (G1) at Goodwood to secure a spot in the starting gate for Gulfstream Park’s $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G2).

Coming on the third day of Great Britian’s Glorious Goodwood Festival, the 3-year-old bay Whirl gave Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien his second straight Nassau victory and sixth overall in the turf contest for fillies and mares 3 and up contested at 1 ¼ miles.

The Nassau was run over a course listed as heavy following a torrential downpour that delayed the start of the previous race, the Gordon Stakes. With threat of lightning in the area, Goodwood officials opted to start the Nassau by flag rather than from the starting gate for the safety of horses and horsemen.

Taking full advantage of the situation, jockey Ryan Moore sent Epsom Oaks (G1) runner-up Whirl to the lead where she remained throughout with only a mild threat from Group 2 winner See The Fire before pulling clear decisively. It was the second straight Group 1 triumph for Whirl following the Pretty Polly June 28 at The Curragh.

1 1/16-mile Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf for fillies and mares 4 and older is a supporting feature on 2026 Pegasus Day program Jan. 24 to the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) and $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1). Qirat sprang a monumental upset in the Visit Qatar Sussex (G1) Wednesday at Goodwood to earn a berth in the Pegasus Turf.

O’Brien and Moore captured the 2024 Pegasus Turf for Westerberg and the same Coolmore connections in track-record time of 1:44.45 with three-time Group 1-winning multimillionaire mare Warm Heart in her career finale. O’Brien also ran second in 2019 and 2020 with the mare Magic Wand, the latter with Moore aboard.

Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $150,000

The Royal Palm Meet resumes Friday at Gulfstream Park, where the 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $150,000.

Post time for the first of nine races is 12:50 p.m.

Unsolved for six consecutive racing days following multiple $14,191.52 mandatory payouts July 13, the Rainbow 6 sequence spans Races 4-9 and includes two on the grass as turf racing returns to Gulfstream.

The feature comes in Race 8, an optional claiming allowance Florida-bred 3-year-olds and up scheduled for one mile on the grass. Smart Striker, rallying head winner of a similar spot going 7 ½ furlongs on turf June 29, is the 2-1 program favorite in a field of seven that includes last-out winner Wasamattafoyou and Sticky McShnickens, who owns two seconds and three thirds in six prior tries on the Gulfstream turf.

A mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be held Sunday.

In the Rainbow 6, the jackpot pool is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool. However, on mandatory payout days the entire jackpot pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the wager’s six-race sequence.