Nola Soul (11-2) secured victory in the Chesham Stakes on the third day of the 2026 Royal Ascot meeting, providing trainer Fozzy Stack with his first winner at the prestigious event.
A Dramatic Turn of Events
The race took an unexpected turn when the favourite, Aix La Chapelle, who was aiming to give Aidan O'Brien his 100th Royal Ascot winner, was withdrawn after rearing in the stalls. This opened the door for fellow Irish trainer Fozzy Stack to seize the opportunity and claim his maiden victory at the meeting.
Under the guidance of jockey Seamie Heffernan, who has been responsible for five of O'Brien's 99 winners at the meeting, the Justify colt displayed determination to win the seven-furlong Listed contest, which served as the opening race on day three.
Race Performance
Nola Soul had previously finished second to the Joseph O'Brien-trained King Of Cloughan, who went on to win the Windsor Castle Stakes earlier in the week. The two-year-old upheld that form and emerged victorious. Despite being keen throughout the race under Heffernan, Nola Soul kept finding more in the finish to win by half-a-length from Joseph O'Brien's newcomer On Just Terms (28-1), with the front-running Aperoll (12-1) staying on to finish third, a head further back. Aix La Chapelle's stablemate South Dakota, backed into second favourite at 10-3, finished fourth under Wayne Lordan, three-quarters-of-a-length behind the winner.
Trainer's Reaction
Fozzy Stack, whose father Tommy was also a trainer but is best known for partnering the legendary Red Rum to his record third Grand National victory in 1977, was delighted to secure his first winner at the Royal meeting. He said: "He's a lovely horse and we have a high opinion of him. Seamie (Heffernan) has always loved him. He's a big strong galloper who can go fast for a long time. If he came out of the debut run alright, it was always the plan to come here. It's the place everyone wants to be."
Stack added: "A plan well executed! He's a big, powerful galloper, he keeps going fast for a long time, I'm lucky to have him and delighted for Craig (Benrick, owner). He's a little bit of character, he did something similar at Leopardstown, he doesn't like people to get behind his backside and can lash out so you just have to play around with him. I think he'll definitely get a mile and a quarter but we'll enjoy today first, it's a nice problem to have."
He continued: "That was good! He's a horse we've always liked, a big, powerful galloper who can go fast for a long time and stays really well. We were very hopeful of a good run – you just hope they show up on the day, whether you win, finish third, fourth... whatever. He stays really well. He's a January foal, a big fella. I'd say he'd have no problem getting a mile and a quarter in time. I'd hope he might turn up in a good race at the end of the year."
Jockey's Perspective
Winning jockey Seamie Heffernan, securing his seventh career victory at Royal Ascot, commented: "The beauty is there's more to come. I've plenty of experience with the Justifys so I know exactly what they like and what they don't like. A lot of them have an engine and once it's geared the right way, they're good. It's a great pleasure that Mr Bernick, the owner, had the confidence in me to teach him and it was the right thing; he was an Ascot horse from a long time ago. It's a pleasure to be here. He was waiting for something to come, he's a professional, he was waiting."
Heffernan added: "He always showed plenty, he's by the right stallion, big stride, big heart. I think the key thing is, there's more to come, because he's still raw and immature, but when they give you the class feel from day one and they keep backing it up every week when you sit on them, it's usually a good feel, but big thumbs up to the owner – I think he picked him out himself, and he sent him to Fozzie with a lot of confidence. We just kept agreeing that he's above where he should be."
He concluded: "It's brilliant – I owe Craig a big thank you. I'd like to be busier this week here, but I'm not. It's lovely to have another winner here – it means more than you know, and I'm running out of time."
