Nassau Stakes Odds: Emily Upjohn bids to silence Opera Singer

The middle afternoon at Glorious Goodwood is on Thursday and will be headlined by the Group 1 Nassau Stakes as the Classic generation fillies engage their older rivals in middle-distance tussle over a mile-and-a-quarter.

The Nassau has been won in recent times by the likes of Minding, Winter and Nashwa, while in 2019 Deirdre provided a famous Japanese-trained winner.

Sir Michael Stoute's classy filly Midday stands tall in the history of this contest, with an unmatched hat-trick of wins in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

The class of 2024 includes a pair of Group 1 scorers representing top connections in a field of 10 contenders.

Nassau Stakes Odds

(Odds will display when market is available)

Opera Singer

Trainer Aidan O'Brien is winless in this race since Winter secured a fourth success for his Ballydoyle operation in 2017 but there will be high hopes that Opera Singer can emulate the Irish handler's quartet of previous winners in scoring as a three-year-old.

The Justify filly was placed in the Irish 1000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot in two runs this season and will now race beyond a mile for the first time with potential for further improvement.

Emily Upjohn

John & Thady Gosden bid to win this race for a second time in three years after Nashwa's success in 2022. Emily Upjohn is a two-time winner at the highest level since she was agonisingly denied in the Epsom Oaks in 2022, both of those successes coming over 1m4f.

She disappointed at Epsom in the Coronation Cup on her seasonal bow in the UK but has since ran a cracker in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh over this trip when she was run down late by Bluestocking after being forced to commit for home sooner than ideal. She is drawn widest of all here and has to concede 8lb to some smart three-year-olds.

Sparkling Plenty

A French-based daughter of Kingman, she has won a Fillies' Group 2 over a mile at Chantilly and then the Group 1 Prix de Diane at the same venue upped in trip in her last two starts.

She has changed hands since and will sport a new tongue-tie and hood on first run in these Al Shaqab colours as she aims to provide France with a first Nassau Stakes winner.

Elmalka

Roger Varian's Kingman filly stormed home to land the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in May on just the third start of her career and her second run on turf.

She has since finished fourth in a strong renewal of the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, with the best part of three-lengths separating her from Opera Singer, and connections will hope this longer trip can help bridge that gap as the trainer goes for back-to-back wins following Al Husn's success last summer.

Stay Alert

A useful filly for trainer Hughie Morrison, she put up a personal best on her comeback to win the Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket (1m1f, good) on seasonal bow in May but was out of her comfort zone in the Pretty Polly Stakes since at Curragh, finishing a long way behind Emily Upjohn.

See The Fire

She only has a debut Newmarket maiden win to show in the winning column but was placed in the bet365 Fillies' Mile at HQ on her final two-year-old start.

She ran below expectations back there in the 1000 Guineas in May and has been safely held in two further Group 1s since, including the Eclipse at Sandown last time upped to this distance. More is needed despite returning to fillies-only company.

Doha

The winner of the Kensington Palace Stakes Fillies' Handicap at Royal Ascot last month over a mile on the straight course for Ralph Beckett, she has very few miles on the clock but lots to work on in this company after finishing second in a Listed race at Pontefract (1m, good to soft).

Lady Boba

A second contender for Ralph Beckett, she has proved most consistent in a six-race sequence on turf so far, with two placed efforts in Group races at Haydock this summer, latterly when third in the bet365 Lancashire Oaks. This assignment appears to be her toughest so far.

Lumiere Rock

Joseph O'Brien's contender won a Group 2 at Curragh last season over this distance having earlier finished second in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot over further. She has, though, been well held in Group 1s in Ireland over this trip twice this season, fading to be more than six-lengths adrift of Emily Upjohn last time having made the running.

Novus

Gary Moore's four-year-old has a fine Goodwood record, with figures of 1212 in handicap/Listed company over 7f/1m.

She won a Newmarket Group 3 last season in one start over this trip, but is 0-4 this term and finished well beaten in the bet365 Lancashire Oaks at Haydock last time.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.