Highfield Princess just magical in Nunthorpe

John Quinn’s mare adds York glory to Deauville spoils, foiling The Platinum Queen.

Highfield Princess enhanced the impressive record of fillies and mares in the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes to lead home a Yorkshire-trained one-two-three in the Friday feature at York.

Trained locally in Malton by John Quinn, the versatile five-year-old was making just her second start over the minimum trip and was bagging her second Group One victory in the space of a fortnight having scooped the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville earlier this month.

Richard Fahey’s The Platinum Queen blazed a trail off a featherweight of 8st in the hands of Hollie Doyle and looked set to become the first juvenile filly since Lyric Fantasy in 1992 to waltz away with this Group One prize.

But Jason Hart and Highfield Princess (5-1) soon loomed large in the shadows to put her perfect blend of speed and stamina to expert use in the closing stages and storm to a going-away two-and-a-half-length victory.

The victory means she is the first horse since Handsome Sailor in 1988 to follow up victory in York’s 1895 Duke of York Stakes with the Nunthorpe and she was cut to 7-2 from 8-1 for Haydock’s Betfair Sprint Cup by the race sponsor to keep her Group One-winning run going next month.

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