After the 2020 meeting was raced behind closed doors amidst the pandemic, horse racing fans and connections will be anticipating the 2021 edition of Glorious Goodwood, as they travel en masse to the Sussex-based racecourse. The Nassau Stakes is the third and final Group 1 race of the festival, taking place on day three.
Open to fillies and mares over the age of three years old, the race is more often than not won by horses of the entry age, and rarely by the favourite – making it impossible to predict when it comes to those scouring the Goodwood betting odds. Read on to find our picks for this year’s race, as well as the most recent winners.
2018: Wild Illusion
Charlie Appleby secured his first win in the Group 1 race, while jockey William Buick added to his previous two successes as Wild Illusion won comfortably. The pre-race favourite was Rhododendron, who never looked like being in contention, and eventually trailed off into the last place. Buick rode a tactical race, finishing two lengths ahead of the 3/1 Urban Fox, while Frankie Dettori could only come third, on Veracious.
2019: Deidre
Japanese-bred Deidre put an end to the country’s 19-year long wait to win a Group 1 race, and jockey, Oisin Murphy foiled Dettori, who had been on a winning run in the highest class of racing. Deidre was an outside chance at 20/1 but overcame a challenging field to win by a one-and-a-quarter length. It was a disappointing day for trainer Aidan O’Brien, with favourite Hermosa leading early on, but who tailed off late on to finish in the last place. On the win, Murphy said:
“I’m so glad the Japanese have brought a horse here and she has performed,
“I’ve been telling people since I came back from Japan of the regard they hold their horses in and it’s fantastic they have won a Group 1 race here.”
2020: Fancy Blue
Last year, behind closed doors Fancy Blue, handed young Donnacha O’Brien – son of legendary trainer Aidan – his first Group 1 winner with a British-bred horse. Despite having to watch on from home in Ireland, his three-year-old filly didn’t disappoint as the second favourite, and prevailed by just a neck, consigning One Voice ridden by Tom Marquand to second place. The favourite had been Magic Wand, trained by Aidan and it could have proved a memorable day for the O’Brien family, but the Dettori-ridden mare could only finish fifth, having led in the early stages.
2021: ?
This year, the Nassau Stakes betting odds are in the favour of Audarya, the five-year-old mare who recently lost out to Love in the Prince of Wales’ Stakes at Royal Ascot. And talking of which – unbeaten in four starts over the last two seasons, you simply cannot look beyond the Aidan O’Brien-trained filly who has the 2020 1,000 Guineas, Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks titles under her belt. Stablemate Snowfall may have something to say about that – with two wins from two starts this season, including the Oaks at Epsom. While also leading the charge at this stage is Snow Lantern, a winner at Newmarket earlier this month. It’s set to be a thrilling race.