Ryan Moore responds to winning big race as thunder and lightning hit Glorious Goodwood

One of the signature races of Glorious Goodwood had to be started by flag after a deluge of rain and bursts of thunder and lightning hit the track on Thursday.

The Group 1 Nassau Stakes, over a 1m2f, is one of the top contests for fillies and mares in the Flat racing calendar. The start of the race was delayed after 26mm of rain fell during a 20 minutes period and the runners were held back while the storm passed through.

The horrendous weather, which blighted day three of the prestigious race meeting, sent racegoers scurrying for shelter - while a plane carrying jockeys to the venue was forced into an emergency landing.

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The rain relented enough for stewards to give the all clear for jockeys to mount but, just as the field was set to be loaded into the starting stalls, there was another clap of thunder and the starter announced the race would be go off by flag due to lightning in the area.

The race eventually went off eight minutes late with the steel stalls out of action for a second race, a flag also being used for the previous Gordon Stakes.

The 6-5 favourite, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Whirl, was taken straight to the front by Ryan Moore and never saw another rival. In the torrential rain she drew five lengths clear of Cercene with See The Fire a length and a quarter back in third.

Immediately after the completion of the race the going was changed to heavy, from good, good to firm in places. Moore said he had never ridden in a Group 1 race started by flag.

“It’s not ideal, is it?” he said. “Whirl keeps doing what she says she is going to do. She is very uncomplicated, has loads of ability, stays well. She handles quick ground, handles slow ground. She’s tall. Aidan called her a racine machine the last day.

“This filly is progressing all the time. It’s a shame it was the spectacle it was but she has done it very well.”

O’Brien said: “Well done to everybody for getting it on and keeping it going. Whirl is an amazing filly.”

Whirl could now be a candidate for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, for which she was cut to 10-1 by William Hill, and O’Brien said: “She has all the options. She can go anywhere. She can go to York, France for the Arc trials, the Arc. She can do them all. She is a very good filly."

William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps, said: “Whirl put on a show in the pouring rain at Goodwood this afternoon. She powered clear of her rivals in seriously impressive style and she looks to have the world at her feet. Connections have mentioned that the Arc could be a possibility, and we think so too, cutting her into 10-1 from 16s for Longchamp.

“She has a little way to go to topple Kalpana as favourite, who sits atop the betting at 7-1. It’s worth remembering that should Whirl be supplemented for Paris, she’d receive a three-year-old allowance over Kalpana, which she made great use of when defeating the Balding filly in the Pretty Polly. “The Lads” will have a nice decision to make whether they want to send their Nassau heroine to Paris in October.”