Hermosa Faces Nassau Test

[Wandering Eyes]

Thursday sees Goodwood’s festival offer the third Group 1 race of the week in the Qatar Nassau S., where the 3-year-olds look to dominate as they did in the previous day’s Sussex. Freshened up after a defeat in the June 21 G1 Coronation S., Ballydoyle’s G1 English and Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Hermosa (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) tries a mile-and-a-quarter trip that may be more suitable as a full-sister to Hydrangea (Ire) and The United States (Ire).

“She is in good form. We were nearly stepping her up last time for the French Oaks, but we decided to give her one more go at a mile at Ascot,” Aidan O’Brien commented. “It will be interesting going up in trip. You never know if it will bring out more improvement until you do it, but we always thought there was a chance she would get further. She got beaten at Ascot last time, but she had two tough races before and we were happy with her run.”

Standing in Hermosa’s way is another project from the almost-unstoppable Gosden-Dettori combination in Mehdaayih (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who showed explosive acceleration when winning the Listed Cheshire Oaks over an extended 11 furlongs on May 8 and the 12-furlong G2 Prix de Malleret at Saint-Cloud on June 30. In between, Emirates Park’s granddaughter of the 1995 G1 Sussex S. heroine Sayyedati (GB) (Shadeed) met much trouble in running when seventh in the G1 Epsom Oaks on May 31 and she is still dangerously unexposed. “She was very unlucky in the Oaks, where she got knocked over not once but three times and she quickened up very well in France,” Gosden explained. “We are coming back in trip, but she is very versatile and we think she will run a nice race. Whether she will handle Goodwood is something we will only find out after the race.”

Hermosa was undone by a French challenger in Watch Me (Fr) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) in the Coronation and she meets another here in Samuel de Barros’s G1 Prix de Diane winner Channel (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}). She will have to find more off a narrow success in that June 16 10 1/2-furlong Classic and trainer Francis-Henri Graffard is aware of the nature of her task. “She will need to improve a bit to be competitive in the Nassau, but she is in top shape and I think she has improved physically since her last run,” he said. “She is coming into the race in good form. She will like the 10-furlong trip and I don’t think the undulations of the track will be a problem. She has an outside draw, which might not be ideal to get a good position but she is very easy to ride. I said to the owner if we are third in a race like that it is a very good result. It is against older fillies, which will not be easy, but she is an Oaks winner now.”

Another of the Classic generation is Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Maqsad (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), who like Mehdaayih was off the board in the Oaks. Only 10th there, the impressive May 5 Listed Pretty Polly S. winner was travelling better than anything heading to two out and arrives here a fresh filly. “She took a long time to get over the Oaks, but she is back in good form now,” trainer William Haggas said. “I think it may have been more than the trip in the Oaks, because she travelled well and then stopped very quickly. Dropping back in trip should suit her. I don’t see the track being an issue.”

Heading the older filly contingent are the Sir Michael Stoute-trained 4-year-olds Rawdaa (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) and Sun Maiden (GB) (Frankel {GB}), with the former coming off the back of a second in the G1 Duke of Cambridge S. over a mile at Royal Ascot on June 19 and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Sun Maiden stepping up in class following her defeat of Nyaleti (Ire) (Arch) in the G3 Hoppings Fillies’ S. over an extended 10 furlongs on Newcastle’s Tapeta on June 28. Teddy Grimthorpe said of Sun Maiden, “She is progressing pretty nicely and did well to win at Newcastle in a slightly slowly-run race on quite a deep surface. She has pleased Sir Michael since and everything has been very straightforward. She is coming into the race in great form.”

‘TDN Rising Star’ Threat (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) tackles the G2 Qatar Richmond S., where he bids to confirm the form of the June 18 G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot with the third-placed Guildsman (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), fifth Golden Horde (Ire) (Lethal Force {Ire}) and eighth Maxi Boy (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Trainer Richard Hannon is hoping the subsequent freshening-up process will benefit the exciting prospect. “We agreed with the management of Cheveley Park that we were going to miss the July meeting at Newmarket, as it comes a little quick after Ascot, and go to Goodwood instead,” he explained. “Working back from the Dewhurst is what we decided to do. He is in the Phoenix, the Prix Morny and the Gimcrack. He has all those nice entries, so we can pick and choose our way depending on what happens in the Richmond.”

Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum’s Symbolize (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) travelled notably strongly when fourth in the five-furlong Listed Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot on June 19 and was beaten only a length when fourth. Over a more suitable trip and on the quicker ground on which he beat the subsequent G3 Princess Margaret S. runner-up Aroha (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) on debut at Salisbury on May 16, he is one of the race’s unknown quantity.

In the G3 Qatar Gordon S., Ballydoyle’s Constantinople (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has to give away three pounds to his rivals after his May 24 G3 Gallinule S. success. Subsequently second under top weight in Royal Ascot’s King George V H. on June 20, he could yet emerge as the stable’s leading G1 St Leger candidate. Also racing with a penalty is Earle Mack and Team Valor’s Spanish Mission (Noble Mission {GB}), who acquired the extra burden when scoring by four lengths in the G3 Bahrain Trophy over 13 furlongs at Newmarket on July 11.

Godolphin’s Jalmoud (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) will provide clues as to the merit of Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who he finished just 1 1/4 lengths behind in the July 14 G1 Grand Prix de Paris, and Headman (GB) (Kingman {GB}) who slammed him by three lengths in the G2 Prix Eugene Adam at Saint-Cloud on June 30. He gives the impression he is still learning his craft and trainer Charlie Appleby said he believes he will be a major contender. “We dropped him back to a mile and a quarter on his penultimate start and it was a good performance to finish second to Headman,” he said. “Last time he finished a good third back up to a mile and a half and if he brings that level of form to Goodwood, he will be a major player. He is a horse that deserves to be in this calibre of race. We put a hood on him on his last start and that helped, so that will stay on again.” Michael Pescod’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Floating Artist (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) took Ascot’s Woodford Reserve H. on his first try at this trip on July 13 and bids to emulate last year’s winner Cross Counter (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) in winning that and following up here.

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