SUPERB VODAFONE NASSAU STAKES ENTRY REVEALED - BRITTAIN HAS "NO DOUBT" RAJEEM WILL STAY
A mouth-watering renewal of the £200,000 Group One Vodafone Nassau Stakes is in store as some of the best fillies and mares in training appear among the 29-strong entry for the near 10-furlong Goodwood showpiece, which is run on Saturday, August 5.
The contest raises the prospect of a thrilling clash of the generations with 2004 Vodafone Oaks and Darley Irish Oaks heroine Ouija Board entered alongside Alexandrova, who completed the same classic double at the Curragh on July 15.
The race boasts a star-studded roll of past winners with the great mares La Fleche (1892), Sceptre (1902) and Pretty Polly (1904) successful in the prestigious contest, which was first run in 1840.
Recent renewals of the Vodafone Nassau Stakes have lived up to the race's historic billing as one of the top distaff contests in the world, and that looks set to be maintained with the winners of 18 Group One races entered.
The Ed Dunlop-trained Ouija Board is proven at the highest level around the world, and Lord Derby's five-year-old showed herself as effective at 10 furlongs as she is at a mile and a half when securing her fifth Group One success in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.
Alexandrova gave trainer Aidan O'Brien his first Darley Irish Oaks victory when defeating Scottish Stage by four lengths on good to firm going at the Curragh and the filly could bid to give the master of Ballydoyle his first Vodafone Nassau Stakes victory.
O'Brien has the biggest single entry of any trainer, with his five possible runners being completed by Race For The Stars, Kushnarenkovo, Queen Cleopatra and Fermion.
The brilliant Crimplene completed a hat-trick of Group One wins when taking this prize in 2000 for Clive Brittain and the Carlburg Stables handler could bid for a second success with recent Group One Falmouth Stakes winner Rajeem.
The Newmarket handler revealed: "The Vodafone Nassau Stakes is certainly a possibility for Rajeem. She's in the Prix Jacques le Marois over a mile at Deauville as well as the Goodwood race, so we'll have a look at both and make a decision as to whether we step her up in trip."
The Diktat filly is yet to win beyond a mile but was a running on fifth when three-quarters of a length behind Atlantic Waves in the Listed Feilden Stakes over nine furlongs at Newmarket in April on her only attempt at further.
Brittain said: "There's no doubt in my mind that she does stay 10 furlongs, so the step up in distance won't be a problem.
"I was very happy with her after the Falmouth Stakes. She only lost 3kg from the race, which shows that she didn't have a hard race. That's a big difference from the 29kg she lost when out of sorts in the German Guineas."
Alexander Goldrun was victorious in last season's Vodafone Nassau Stakes for trainer Jim Bolger - who could also field Tropical Lady and Senora Galilei - and the five-time Group One-winning mare could bid to become only the third dual winner of the race after the Henry Cecil-trained Roussalka (1975 and 1976) and the Paul Cole-trained Ruby Tiger (1991 and 1992).
The five-year-old globetrotter showed her well-being when winning the Group One Audi Pretty Polly Stakes on July 1 by a neck from the Con Collins-trained Chelsea Rose who scored her biggest success in the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes in September 2004.
Impressive Group One Coronation Stakes winner Nannina, trained by John Gosden for Cheveley Park Stud, was the three-quarters of a length runner-up to Rajeem in the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket, with the Richard Hannon-trained Nasheej fifth.
Sir Mark Prescott took the Vodafone Nassau Stakes with Last Second in 1996 and the brilliant Alborada in 1998, and could bid for a third win with this season's Group One Prix de Diane Hermes heroine Confidential Lady, and Last Second's daughter Intrigued.
Sir Michael Stoute is the most successful post-war trainer with seven wins to his credit, including a hat-trick of victories with Islington, Russian Rhythm and Favourable Terms (2002-2004). He has entered the 2003 Group One Meon Valley Stud Fillies' Mile winner Red Bloom, who was third in this race last year, and Echelon, who was runner-up to Soviet Song at Royal Ascot in June.
Godolphin trainer, Saeed bin Suroor, could be represented by Group One-placed Pictavia, who scored in a 10-furlong Newcastle Listed contest on June 29, and Reunite.
Others who could line up include Vodafone Oaks runner-up Rising Cross, and Time On, successful in the Group Two Prix de Malleret at Saint-Cloud on June 25.
The Vodafone Nassau Stakes takes place on the fifth and concluding day of the 2006 Glorious Goodwood Festival, which commences on Tuesday, August 1.
For more information, please contact Rod Fabricius, Managing Director of Goodwood Racecourse, on 01243 755022 or 07836 321254
THE VODAFONE NASSAU STAKES
Class 1, Group 1, £200,000 Total Prize Fund. 2.30pm, Goodwood, Saturday, August 5, 2006. For 3yo+, fillies & mare only, one mile, one furlong, 192 yards. Entries closed July 12, entries revealed July 18 (29 entries). Five-day confirmation stage July 31, 48-hour declaration stage, 10.00am, August 3. Form figures supplied by Weatherbys and are correct up to and including the racing of Monday, July 17, 2006.
Form Horse Age Owner Trainer
300-521 ALEXANDER GOLDRUN (IRE) 5 Miriam O'Callaghan Jim Bolger IRE
312-211 ALEXANDROVA (IRE) 3 Sue Magnier, Michael.Tabor & Derrick .Smith Aidan O'Brien IRE
46-0330 CAPE COLUMBINE 4 Mrs R F Lowe David Elsworth
143-422 CHELSEA ROSE (IRE) 4 Mrs A J Donnelly Con Collins IRE
10-2615 CONFIDENTIAL LADY 3 Cheveley Park Stud Sir Mark Prescott
141-112 ECHELON 4 Cheveley Park Stud Sir Michael Stoute
30-612 FERMION (IRE) 3 Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE
314/-3 INTRIGUED 4 Faisal Salman Sir Mark Prescott
0-35420 KUSHNARENKOVO 3 Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
120-124 LA MOTTIE 3 Lordship Stud Jeremy Noseda
504-322 MANGO MISCHIEF (IRE) 5 Antoniades Family John Dunlop
311-012 NANNINA 3 Cheveley Park Stud John Gosden
3-13035 NASHEEJ (USA) 3 Malih L. Al Basti Richard Hannon
1-43215 OUIJA BOARD 5 Lord Derby Ed Dunlop
00322-1 PICTAVIA (IRE) 4 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor
1-(1) POSTAGE STAMPE 3 S R Hope David Simcock
022-113 PRINCESS NADA 3 Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum Luca Cumani
241335 QUEEN CLEOPATRA (IRE) 3 Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
011-044 RACE FOR THE STARS (USA) 3 Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
1-(0)5051 RAJEEM 3 Saeed Manana Clive Brittain
3216-43 RED BLOOM 5 Cheveley Park Stud Sir Michael Stoute
1-15 REUNITE (IRE) 3 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor
(6)(5)1203 RISING CROSS 3 Gary Tanaka John Best
505-12 SENORA GALILEI (IRE) 3 Jackie Bolger Jim Bolger IRE
0-22313 SUMMER'S EVE 3 Mrs S E Lakin Henry Candy
03-1161 TIME ON 3 Robert Barnett John Dunlop
2311-64 TROPICAL LADY (IRE) 6 George Kent Jim Bolger IRE
202-(2)16 VIOLET PARK 5 Mrs J Cash Brian Meehan
5(1)(4)-034 ZAYN ZEN 4 Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum Michael Jarvis
29 entries
9 Irish-trained
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