Fairy May Bid For More Far Eastern Glory

Ed Dunlop’s high-class globetrotting mare Snow Fairy has returned to her home stable at Newmarket for a well earned rest following a fantastically successful tour of the Far East that saw her win Group 1 races in both Japan and Hong Kong to add to her wins in this season’s Epsom and Irish Oaks, writes Elliot Slater.

The daughter of Intikhab cost just 1800 Euros as a yearling and owner Cristina Patino would surely have been mighty pleased if her filly had managed a win a small Haydock handicap or even a Southwell seller, but to win four Group 1 races in a season with her bargain basement buy must surely have been beyond her wildest dreams.

The betfair paul nicholls column points out Dunlop achieved similar success over a number of season’s with Lord Derby’s tremendous racemare Ouija Board, is not likely to let Snow Fairy rest on her laurels for too long.  Even as the mare was returning to the winners’ enclosure at Sha Tin ideas were mooted about letting her take her chance in the $10 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan in late-March, and now there is also talk of her returning to Hong Kong in April to have a crack at the QEII Cup back at Sha Tin.

The three-year-old is reported by betfair horse racing pundits to have travelled back to the UK without any problems and probably her most valuable quality is her robust nature. She never seems to be bothered by travel overseas, eats up well, and loses little condition. When Ouija Board retired Dunlop described her as the “horse of a lifetime”, but in Snow Fairy he has another filly who could yet make up to be at least as good, if not better, and who should continue to fly the flag for Britain at many of the major international races to come over the next season or two.