Today is Day 3 of the Qatar Goodwood Festival and sees the Prix de Diane Hermes heroine, Nashwa attempt to add further Group 1 glory in the Qatar Nassau Stakes at 16h35.
Hollie Doyle reunites with the Gosden trained filly and is very happy with the filly’s progress since her return from France last month.
She stated: “Nashwa is just unreal and she’s getting better and better. Every time I sit on her between races she’s improved again. I rode a piece of work on her last week which was very similar to the work we did before France and she’s bigger and stronger once again, and better than ever.”
“There’s no reason she shouldn’t handle Goodwood. Although I did feel she was a bit weak on the track at Epsom in the Oaks, that was still early in her career and she handled it, although it wasn’t ideal. She was beaten more by the trip than the track, and Goodwood shouldn’t be a problem.”
She receives 9lbs from her elders, and on official ratings she is well in here.
Her biggest danger looks to be the Ed Walker trained Dreamloper. The Group 1 winning five-year-old finished sixth last time out at the Curragh, but her trainer believes that run should be ignored due to the heavy underfoot conditions.
He stated: “The ground was the problem at the Curragh last time, and also she got a bit crowded, which made her a bit keen. Keenness has always been a bit of a thing for her, but she’s been quite good this year. On that ground though Kieran Shoemark said she was wheel spinning. We can put a line through that. When we met Lilac Road in the Dahlia, we beat her, and we’ve won a Group 1 since then.”
“The win in the Prix d’Ispahan was great. It was really quick ground there – I walked the track and there’s no way it was the good to soft that they were calling it. – but she settled great that day. When she settles, she has a deadly turn of foot, and the faster the ground the better.”
Earlier on the day at 15h25, Royal Scotsman will be out to redeem himself after his third placing at Royal Ascot in the Coventry. The Gleneagles colt was a facile five-length winner over course and distance on his penultimate start in May. The Andrew Balding trained Chateau, an impressive winner at Newbury should follow him home.
The feature on Friday is the Gr2 Qatar King George Stakes (16h35) over the straight five furlongs.
The flying Battaash won the race on four occasions from 2017 to 2020, and his trainer, Charlie Hills has declared both Equilateral and Khaadem this time. Both should be in the mix, but in an open race perhaps the course and distance winner Raasel could be the one to side with.
James Doyle’s mount only had to be pushed out to edge the improving three-year-old Mitbaahy last month at Sandown and his course experience is a positive.
