By Tom Frary
Things may not have worked out for her in the Phoenix Stakes, but Ballydoyle's True Love (No Nay Never) came good at the second attempt at the highest level in Saturday's G1 Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket. Too strong for compatriot Havana Anna (Havana Grey) from 1 1/2 furlongs down, the 2-1 favourite stayed on strongly for Wayne Lordan to prevail by 3/4 of a length, with a length back to Royal Fixation (Palace Pier) in third.
“She's a big filly, very fast and like a big four-year-old now–she's a powerhouse,” Aidan O'Brien said of the imposing winner, his sixth in this race. “She very quick, so I wouldn't be sure she'd stay in a Guineas–she is by No Nay Never who is a big influence for speed, but you never know until they get through the winter and into the spring.”
After meeting Lady Iman and Gstaad on her first two starts, True Love bossed her peers in the Queen Mary and Railway before becoming one of those beaten long odds-on favourites that go down in infamy at The Curragh last month. Coming up short behind Power Blue there, she was sent forward to keep close tabs on Fitzella (Too Darn Hot) and not allow the race to get away from her this time.
Powering to the front two out, she quickly had the race in safe keeping despite the admirable travail of the runner-up who was improving off a latest second in the G3 Prix d'Arenberg. “Ryan [Moore] didn't accept the run in the Phoenix at all, he was adamant that wasn't her run,” O'Brien added. “Ryan said to make sure that Wayne waited until after the two-furlong pole before asking for his effort. When he asked her to go forward, her head went down which was a good sign.”
“She has a great constitution, eats very well and is strong. She takes her racing well and has a great mind. You can see she is very chilled after the race today. She could go to the Breeders' Cup–it depends on what lads want to do.”
Royal Fixation was always playing catch-up here and stayed on up the hill to suggest she will stay further in time. Trainer Ed Walker said of the Lowther winner, “It was a massive run and I'm really proud of her, but I think I'm disappointed really because while my expectations are never high going into a Group 1, they went rapidly up between the four and the three.”
“I just thought when Will [Buick] started poking her into the race she grabbed hold of the bit and to be honest at that stage I thought she was going to win, but it looked like she just fell down the hill,” he added. “I've only watched it once, but it looked like she didn't know where her legs were going and then when she's hit the rising ground she's ran on again.”
“I don't really know what we do now. The Breeders' Cup wasn't an option coming here today, we thought this would be it for the season, but it might be an option now. It's obviously over a mile around a bend. Will wasn't confident she'd get much further than six furlongs at York, but now he's very confident she will. If not, I'd imagine we'll put her away and train her for a Guineas or maybe a French Guineas next year. We'll have a beer and think about it.”
❤️ True Love wins the Cheveley Park pic.twitter.com/3zDiHCWXKW
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 27, 2025
Pedigree Notes
True Love does look a hardwired sprinter, which is a surprise given that she is out of a mare who was third in the Oaks in Alluringly (Fastnet Rock). That dam's first foal was Galileo's Lily Pond who took the Kilboy Estate Stakes and was runner-up in the Blue Wind and Munster Oaks. Her third was TDN Rising Star Truly Enchanting, another daughter of No Nay Never who was also a Group 2 winner in last year's Airlie Stud Stakes.
True Love's broodmare value is truly stratospheric now, being a descendant of the world-famous Urban Sea (Miswaki) and granddaughter of that Arc-winning colossus's G3 Middleton Stakes winner and Oaks runner-up All Too Beautiful (Sadler's Wells). That links her not only to Galileo and Sea The Stars but also to another Oaks runner-up in Wonder Of Wonders (Kingmambo), her Irish 1,000 Guineas-placed daughter So Wonderful (War Front), and the G1 Cox Plate and G1 Tancred Stakes winner Sir Dragonet (Camelot) and No Nay Never's G2 Prix du Calvados winner Les Pavots. Alluringly's 2024 filly by Frankel unfortunately died.
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