'It shows how tough she is' - Highfield Princess defies wide draw to get back on top

Why would anyone ever lose any faith in a mare who has proved time and again that miracles are second nature to her?

If you have transformed yourself from a 57-rated handicapper into the best sprinter in Europe, rattling up a Group 1 hat-trick within five weeks last summer, a minor detail such as a bad draw is unlikely to be insurmountable.

While the figures suggested that Highfield Princess might as well have stayed at home in Malton after being forced to start out wide in stall 14 on the 5f track at Longchamp, this is not a mare who is likely to be fazed by common-or-garden statistics.

So while she was making heavy weather of things on the outside through much of the race, and Perdika took full advantage of her plum draw in stall one to lead the field on the inside rail, the faithful never lost their belief.

And Highfield Princess rewarded them gloriously, battling on in typically gutsy fashion to catch the front-runner close home and land a first Group 1 success of the year under Jason Hart.

"Having walked the course I thought there was going to be a massive bias to the stands' rail," the jockey said afterwards. 

"She was flat out most of the race but she tries so bloody hard that she kept powering all the way to the line."

Highfield Princess lands a first Group 1 win of 2023 in the Prix de l'Abbaye under Jason Hart at LongchampCredit: Edward Whitaker

Trainer John Quinn added: "She tries so hard. She toughed it into the race and she toughed it out.

"At halfway she was off the bridle and you think 'ooh' but she tucked in and toughed it out. Typical her. At the line she was on top well. It shows how tough she is, she's wonderful really."   

Quinn was delighted to break his duck on this card and said: "I'm thrilled. I've had plenty of horses run well at this meeting. This is one of the greatest meetings in the world, I'd hoped that one day I could train a winner here, it's wonderful."

Plenty more great meetings are open to Highfield Princess and Quinn said: "She's shown she's probably as good and as tough a sprinting mare as there is in training in the world.

"I wouldn't rule out the Breeders' Cup or the big sprint in Hong Kong in December."

And the miracle mare could get the chance to overturn a few more statistical hoodoos as owner-breeder John Fairley said: "My instinct is she's as good as ever and I'd be inclined to go on running her."

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