Tremendously popular senior racehorse trainer Henry Cecil has been riding the crest of a wave this season, and having landed the Group 2 Lennox Stakes with Lord Shanakil on the opening day of Glorious Goodwood he could well round off the meeting with an even bigger prize with Midday in Group 1 Nassau Stakes on Saturday, writes Elliot Slater.
Cecil has his string in fine form and Midday has been targeted at the top grade mile-and-a-quarter event since landing the contest 12 months ago in a memorable defeat of the smart Rainbow View. The daughter of Oasis Dream went on to run third in the Prix de l’Opera in France before a famous success in the US when coming with a swooping run down the home to straight to land the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup filly & Mares Turf in November at Santa Anita.
Seen only once this season, (when chasing home Sariska in the Group 2 Middleton Stakes at York in May), Midday looks to have an outstanding chance of landing the Nassau Stakes for a second time, especially if the anticipated rain showers in the south of England do materialise and take the sting out of the Goodwood turf.
It looks very much as though the biggest York Ebor festival odds dangers to Cecil’s filly will be the high-class French pair of Stacelita and Rosanara. Stacelita, a multiple Group 1winner trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, has already shown herself to be in good heart this term with a smooth success at Longchamp last time out, whilst Rosanara, a very close fourth in the French 1000 Guineas before filling the runner’s up spot at Chantilly last time out in the Prix de Diane, is certain to be a big threat if she manages to travel over without panicking on the plane, as happened recently when an intended runner at Ascot.
With Rumoush and Strawberrydaiquiri also intended York Ebor 2010 meeting runners, Saturday’s Nassau Stakes promises to be a cracker, but Midday looks the one they all have to beat.
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