No Nay Never’s Whistlejacket Shows His Class In Prix Morny

Aidan O’Brien hailed the wonderful temperament of Whistlejacket (2c No Nay Never – Adventure Seeker, by Bering) after the colt overcame a quick return to land the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville on Sunday.

The son of No Nay Never broke his maiden in a Listed race in May, before finishing a close fourth in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes and progressed to land the Group 2 July Stakes. Runner-up in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes just eight days ago, he was sent off favourite for the six furlong feature and made virtually all of the running under Ryan Moore. Pushed along from two furlongs out, he was ridden a furlong later and kept on to deny Coventry Stakes victor Rashabar (Holy Roman Emperor) by three parts of a length.

“It was the boss’s decision to come back here,” O’Brien later revealed. “The plan was that, because he was so fast and so precocious, we thought he could do both races, which is a very tough thing to do, especially when they're only a week apart.

“He has an incredible temperament, it’s unbelievable how chilled he is, and his brother was the same. It’s very unusual and a very big asset to a horse. Very few horses could do it but we thought if any horse could, it was him.

Comments by Brian Meehan, trainer of runner-up Rashabar (Holy Roman Emperor), paid further compliment to the race. “It was a really good, solid run and the horse is progressing,” he said. “It's one of the toughest Prix Mornys I've seen in a number of years. I've won the race twice and this horse is better [than Bad As I Wanna Be and Arcano]. What I really want to do is take him to the Breeders' Cup. I think he'll travel well and we'll work from that.”

Rashabar will renew his rivalry with Whistlejacket at the Breeders’ Cup, as O’Brien noted the Juvenile Sprint as his target following a Middle Park Stakes tilt.

The son of No Nay Never is owned by Peter Brant with Coolmore partners, having been purchased by Whitebirch Farm and MV Magnier for 500,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1. The full-brother to champion two-year-old Little Big Bear (No Nay Never) was bred by Camas Park, Lynch Bages and Summerhill.