Can she improve again? Nashwa all the rage for Nassau, but this is no tap-in

Thursday: 3.35 Goodwood
Qatar Nassau Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series) | 1m2f | 3yo+ fillies & mares | ITV/RTV

Saturday's King George proved the weight-for-age scale by no means turns these clash of the generations into tap-ins for the Classic crop, for all the market suggests 4-7 favourite Nashwa need barely do more than turn up and put one foot in front of the other to pick up the £340,000 for first place.

For all she is best at the weights, in receipt of 9lb from her elders, on official ratings she is not the highest-rated horse in the field. That honour goes to Dreamloper, but on a mark of 115, her 1lb superiority in ability is not enough to offset the weight she has to concede. With just five career starts to her name and just over halfway through her three-year-old campaign, Nashwa is certainly the one more obviously open to further improvement.

She has improved with each start this season. At Epsom in the Oaks she ran better than in her trial, for all she didn't appear to stay in finishing third, and had the reopposing Concert Hall and Rogue Millennium behind that day.

Dropped back to 1m2½f at Chantilly last time, Nashwa again took a step forward as she justified favouritism to become a Group 1 winner in the Prix de Diane, winning by a short neck from La Parisienne with the pair pulling four and a half lengths clear.

Her joint-trainer Thady Gosden sees the draw as perhaps the biggest danger here, saying: "She ran well in France and was backing up quickly after running a big race in the Oaks when she did not quite see out the trip. She doesn't mind top of the ground. She's drawn nine, which isn't ideal at Goodwood, so we'll have to see where Hollie [Doyle] decides to put her. She gave her a brilliant ride in France."

'This was the sort of race I dreamed of winning'

Nashwa has the sexy profile of a lightly raced and progressive member of the Classic generation, but the Ed Walker-trained Dreamloper has also won a French Group 1 in the Prix d'Ispahan at Longchamp. She has since flopped at the Curragh in the Pretty Polly Stakes, but Walker believes she had an excuse that day.

The trainer said: "Growing up, this was the sort of race I dreamed of winning. I'm thrilled to have a live chance, and one much better than is suggested by the betting, which has rather neglected her. Though the favourite Nashwa looks good, I've got a reasonable line to her through Kawida, who was just a couple of places behind her in the Oaks, and Lilac Road is half our price yet we beat her in the Dahlia Stakes.

"Dreamloper is much better than her last run at the Curragh, where it chucked it down as we were saddling and the ground was bottomless. If I had my time again, I'd pull her out.

"She beat the colts in France previously and though that wasn't the strongest of Group 1s, she won it by two lengths, not a short head. This easy ten furlongs will be right up her street and I just pray the rains stay away as she wants proper top of the ground."

What they say

William Haggas, trainer of Lilac Road
Lilac Road was a Group 2 winner at York in May in the Middleton and the only reason she hasn't run since is that there aren't many races for fillies when they've won their Group 2. There's only really the Pretty Polly, in which we ran two others. Also it was soft ground, which she doesn't want. She's fresh and well and is working nicely. She'll run a good race, but whether she's quite up to that class we'll find out on Thursday.

Aidan O'Brien, trainer of Concert Hall
She ran a good race in America and finished fourth. She's also run in the Irish Guineas, the Oaks and the Pretty Polly and she always seems to run a good race.

Adam Ryan, assistant to Kevin Ryan, trainer of Fonteyn
She's in good order and we're very happy with her going there. The form has worked out well from last time, but it's a big step up in grade and she's stepping up to a mile and a quarter. She deserves to take her chance and her breeding says the trip should be no problem.

Johnny Murtagh, trainer of One For Bobby
I thought she ran a nice race when third at the Curragh in a Group 2 last time. She looks to have come out of that run really well so we're happy to let her take her chance. She has to improve a bit on ratings, but hopefully she can run well.

Tom Clover, trainer of Rogue Millennium
I thought she ran really well in the Oaks. She hit the front two out and I didn't feel she got home. We dropped back to Group 3 company last time and dropped back to ten furlongs, and she got beaten again. I was disappointed that day as she travelled well, she was last off the bridle and just didn't see it out. It was four quick runs for her and maybe Epsom left its mark. She's had a little break and I think she wants delivering late, she travels strongly and picks up well, but she doesn't do much in front. Hopefully she can run a really decent race.

Richard Hannon, trainer of Aristia
It’s a big ask but she’s a talented filly who is moving really well at the moment because sometimes she can be quite ‘shuffly’. Her owners are keen to give it a shot, and why not. Nashwa will be hard to beat but there’s good place money on offer and hopefully she can be good enough to pick up some of it.

Thursday previews:

1.50 Goodwood: 'He looks very progressive' - Can Migdam break Johnston handicap stranglehold?

2.25 Goodwood: Hot Royal Ascot form on show as Royal Scotsman bids for Richmond glory

2.45 Galway: 'It was always the plan to come to Galway' - a quality novice chase in store

3.00 Goodwood: Which horse has leading trainer Charlie Appleby 'always held in high regard'?

5.05 Galway: 'This has been on my mind for a while' - Galway Hurdle insight and quotes

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