Deirdre: 'Our dream came true - we came to the origin of horseracing and we won'

Fans' Favourites is a weekly feature in the Racing Post Weekender in which we talk to those closest to racing's most popular horses and find out why they tug on our heartstrings. This week's subject: Deirdre

Japanese racing has been thriving over the last few years with more horses travelling to Europe and overseas to compete against the best the world has to offer, and no horse captured the British public's imagination more than Deirdre.

The late-charging mare stole the show at Glorious Goodwood, not just with her victory in the 2019 Nassau Stakes, but by the passion and enjoyment shown by the Japanese contingent as she closed in on victory.

It's well known the love that the Japanese have for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, but that level of enthusiasm for British festivals such as Royal Ascot has skyrocketed thanks to Deirdre.

"Bringing Deirdre over to Europe has been a wonderful adventure, and we have been overwhelmed with the friendliness of the welcome," trainer Mitsuru Hashida says.

"Winning the Nassau Stakes was a fabulous day, not just for us but for Japanese racing."

Deirdre and Oisin Murphy are led in after the Nassau StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

Already a popular performer in Japan having won multiple Graded contests including the final leg of the Japanese Triple Crown, the Grade 1 Shuka Sho as a three-year-old, Hashida had always dreamed of winning a Group 1 overseas, and the journey really began in 2019.

After trips to Dubai for the Group 1 Dubai Turf (finished fourth) followed by the Group 1 QEII Cup (sixth) at Sha Tin in Hong Kong, Hashida, alongside his son and assistant trainer Yoshi, landed in Newmarket in preparation for a tilt at the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot.

"She flew to Dubai for the Dubai Turf, then she went to Hong Kong and then she went to Newmarket before we headed to Royal Ascot," Hashida says. "She had speed and power which we thought suited the European races.

"We went to see the Royal Ascot racecourse before and it looked tough. It goes uphill for 900m and we didn't know what was going to happen, but we believed Deirdre had the power and the stamina to overcome the tough course."

Heavy rain in the build-up to the royal meeting, and more on the day of the race, meant the ground had turned soft, a surface that was never going to suit Deirdre, but connections were keen to run her to gauge how good she was on a European level.

This was to be an all-Japanese affair with legendary jockey Yutaka Take taking the ride aboard the Japanese-trained and -bred mare, but after jumping well from the gates she lost her position as the race began to unfold – clearly not handling the ground – but still managed a respectable sixth behind Crystal Ocean.

Deirdre landing the 2017 Shuka ShoCredit: Masakazu Takahashi

"We were hoping to face the top-level horses in the Prince of Wales's and obviously we would've liked to have won, but we really wanted to measure how good we were," Hashida says. "We felt like we came to the Olympics, like the final of the 100m and with eight runners in the race we were hoping to bring the medal back to Japan.

"It was unfortunate that we had the heavy rain before the race but we were very encouraged by her effort and her attitude towards the race. She never gave up."

As the 33-1 outsider, Deirdre was unlikely to win the Prince of Wales's but her participation caused the start of the contest to be moved forward by 40 minutes.

The feature race of each afternoon during the royal meeting is staged at 4.20pm in accordance to Ascot's policy, but the Prince of Wales's was moved to 3.40pm in order to allow those supporting in Japan a better chance to watch the race.

"We wanted the race to go off before midnight in Japan, which brings with it a significantly higher audience," Ascot's director of racing and communications Nick Smith says.

"One of the keys to everything we do is international engagement, so with the blessing of ITV, who agreed that raising our global audience and profile is important, we switched the Prince of Wales's Stakes with the Duke of Cambridge Stakes.

"Had the circumstances needed us to move the Prince of Wales's to race two, we probably wouldn't have done it. Making it race three didn't really matter, not least as it used to be the traditional position for the feature race."

Deirdre and Oisin Murphy after exercising

As Deirdre was steered in the direction of Glorious Goodwood there was a change in jockey with connections opting for Oisin Murphy over Take. Murphy enjoyed 25 winners in Japan during a two-month stint in the country after riding at the Hong Kong International meeting in December of 2018, a winter trip that made a big impression on the leading jockey.

"It's the strictest place in the world to get into but I worked really hard and had a great agent and interpreter out there. I was spoiled in riding very nice horses on a daily basis and had a great time," Murphy says.

"Japanese racing is amazing. There are screens showing the race live in Japan, which is great, and I could see lots of Japanese racing fans going to Goodwood to see her. It was really exciting."

On August 1 2019, the day had arrived for Dierdre to make horseracing history as she lined up for the Qatar Nassau Stakes – the first Japan-based runner ever to run at Glorious Goodwood.

After being steadied out of the stalls and in rear for the first part of the race, Deirdre was last entering the final two furlongs and had a tricky rail position to overcome.

After leading the race for much of the way Frankie Dettori put three lengths between his mount Mehdaayih and the rest of the field and it looked as though that was a decisive winning move, but as the gap on the rail opened up Deirdre began her charge for glory.

Deirdre (Oisin Murphy, far side) beats Mehdaayih (Frankie Dettori) in the Nassau StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

With the going a lot faster than it was at Royal Ascot, Deirdre rattled home under Murphy with connections screaming her to victory, reeling in the longtime leader and pulling away at the line to record a second Japanese Group 1 win in Britain, almost two decades on from the breakthrough top-level success of Agnes World in the July Cup.

"I was absolutely thrilled, both on a personal level for the connections of the horse and for the Japanese racing fans," Murphy says. "Horseracing is taken very seriously in Japan and there is a great love for the sport out there.

"To win a major Group 1 in Britain with a proper filly was fantastic. I hold the Japanese horses in such high regard so it was brilliant for them to win a big prize. I convinced myself beforehand that she had a super chance after she worked brilliantly, but to go and win in a decent field is fantastic.

"It's a long way to travel from Japan to England and they obviously did a fantastic job in getting her in rude health and perfectly conditioned on the day, and we got to witness just how good she was."

Oisin Murphy hugs trainer Mitsuru Hashida after the Nassau StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

"For our father it was his dream to win a Group 1 overseas, he won the Japanese Derby and another Group 1 win in Japan but only in Japan," Hashida says.

"We came to the country of horseracing, the origin of horseracing and we won."

Racing manager to owner Toji Morita and also the trainer's daughter, Seiko Yoshimura, was overcome with emotion after seeing Deirdre cross the line on what was a momentous occasion, not only for Japanese racing but for their family as well.

"Having Deirdre run there meant so much to us. I felt as though our dream came true. I could see her coming, it was truly amazing," Yoshimura says.

"It was a very big challenge to go over there but we could see she tried really hard at Royal Ascot in spite of the rain-softened ground and the surface suited her much better.

"We were hoping for the best for her and it was a glorious day. We have always believed in her and she has great support in Japan. Goodwood is an amazing place. I've never seen such a beautiful racecourse and it's completely different to the tracks in Japan.

"We hope that going there alone has proved it's not that difficult, and hopefully it will have a good influence in bringing more horses over and boosting the interest in British racing in Japan."

Deirdre (Oisin Murphy) are led in after the Nassau StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

Success at Goodwood put Deirdre in the history books, but there was one target connections still had in the back of their minds – the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Deirdre stayed in Britain to have a crack at the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown where she finished fourth, which was followed by a third place on Champions Day at Ascot. On both occasions she was beaten by Magical.

Assignments in Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia were followed by a return to Britain, where she ran in the Coral-Eclipse before going on to try and defend her crown in the Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood. However, a sore back meant she finished last of the seven-runner field.

With connections confident she was back to full health and with Murphy's availability for the Arc having been in doubt over quarantine issues, Jamie Spencer was booked to ride Deirdre in the Arc.

"We thought Jamie Spencer's style would suit Deirdre. We were also impressed with his passion to ride her," Hashida says. "Even when it looked as though he would definitely have to spend eight days in quarantine he wanted to take the mount.

"Jamie had returned from a serious injury that year and Deirdre was returning from a setback as well. We were hoping that they could unite for a great comeback story."

Deirdre: had no luck in running when fourth in the Irish Champion Stakes at LeopardstownCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Unfortunately the fairytale win didn't materialise with the very testing ground going against the Japanese superstar, but she was by no means disgraced in her attempt, finishing ninth just behind the top-class John Gosden pair Enable and Stradivarius.

"Oisin is a great jockey and so is Jamie and we learned a lot and they made us famous," Hashida says. "She's taken us everywhere, she's raced in eight countries which is incredible. I think that could be an unbreakable record for a Japanese horse. When we look back in history, she's been special for us, Japanese racing and maybe international racing too."

Deirdre opened the door for more Japanese horses to take their chance at the most prestigious festivals that Britain – and the world – has to offer. Bathrat Leon was the latest to take up the baton when coming over to contest the Sussex Stakes at this year's Glorious Goodwood, with a lot more sure to follow. Whether it was the unadulterated joy of her connections celebrating her success or the fact that she had such a relatable name, Deirdre will be fondly remembered by the racing world.

Read more from our Fans' Favourites series:

Lady Aurelia: 'I can remember Frankie shaking his fist and thinking he'd won'

Marsha: 'Once the bidding went past three million guineas, it was a blur'

Martha's Son: 'Put him on a racetrack and he'd find three more gears'

Desert Orchid: 'People thought it was an act of lunacy to run over three miles'

Denman: 'He could pick you up and chuck you out the box or take your arm off'

Looks Like Trouble: 'When he started to deliver he was damn-near invincible'

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