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Nassau Stakes
9 Aug 2011: Canford Cliffs Suffers Career-Ending Leg Injury
27 Jul 2011: Canford Cliffs Can Rise Above 2011 Sussex Stakes
21 Jul 2011: 2011 Sussex Stakes Champion “Best In The World”
The Nassau Stakes is an integral part of the Glorious Goodwood meeting. The festival takes place in late July and early August, and the Nassau Stakes is reserved for the last of these five days of racing. It is open to fillies and mares aged three and over and runs over a distance of one mile, one furlong and 192 yards.
The race was inaugurated in 1840 and was named to honour the connection between the House of Orange-Nassau and the 5th Duke of York, who owned the Goodwood Racecourse at the time. The original race was open only to three-year-old fillies and measured only one mile. In 1900 it was lengthened to 1 ½ miles; the current length of about 1 ¼ was introduced in 1911. It was not until 1975 that the race accepted entries of fillies and mares aged four and over, which lifted the level of competition immensely. In 1999 the race was declared a Group 1 race after having been classified as Group 2 since the classification system came into fruition in 1971. The prize money for the Nassau Stakes are currently at £200,000.
In over 150 years of running only two horses ever achieved more than one win at the Nassau Stakes; Roussalka won in 1975 and 1976, Ruby Tiger took the lead in 1991 and 1992. The title of most successful jockey is also a shared honour; Nat Flatman and Sir Gordon Richards both rode six winners at the Nassau Stakes, from 1842 to 1859 and 1933 and 1951 respectively.
Recent Winners of the Nassau Stakes:
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Time |
2010 |
Midday |
Tom Queally |
Henry Cecil |
2:07.25 |
2009 |
Midday |
Tom Queally |
Henry Cecil |
2:09.42 |
2008 |
Halfway To Heaven |
Johnny Murtagh |
Aidan O'Brien |
2:09.73 |
2007 |
Peeping Fawn |
Johnny Murtagh |
Aidan O'Brien |
2:04.53 |
2006 |
Ouija Board |
Frankie Dettori |
Ed Dunlop |
2:04.47 |
2005 |
Alexander Goldrun |
Kevin Manning |
Jim Bolger |
2:08.02 |
Nassau Stakes Odds and News
2 Aug 2010: Midday Wins Nassau Stakes 2010 – Glorious Goodwood 2010 Results
Midday, from the stables of Henry Cecil, is the winner of the Nassau Stakes. A feature race on the last day of the Glorious Goodwood Festival, the Blue Square Nassau Stakes delivered a thrilling last minute dash and saw Midday deliver his second win at the Nassau Stakes, much to the delight of his connections.
| Place | Margin | Horse | Age | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midday | 4 | T P Queally | H R A Cecil | |
| 2 | 1 ¼ | Stacelita | 4 | C Soumillon | J C Rouget |
| 3 | 1 | Antara | 4 | L Dettori | S Bin Suroor |
| 4 | ¾ | Strawberrydaiquiri | 4 | R L Moore | Sir M Stoute |
| 5 | 2 ¼ | Contredanse | 3 | K Fallon | L M Cumani |
| 6 | ¾ | Barshiba | 6 | H Turner | D R C Elsworth |
| 7 | 3 | Rosanara | 3 | G Mosse | A De Royer-Dupre |
It was Hayley Turner of Barshiba who took control of the race within the first few furlongs, establishing a small lead and keeping ahead of the field for the better part of the course. Although the field was not travelling at too great a speed, the contenders did remain close together, raising hopes of a great showdown as the finishing line came closer.
Barshiba was followed closely by Stacelita under Christophe Soumillon, as well as a persistent Midday who was travelling well and calmly under jockey Tom Queally. The tracking duo remained close behind the leading ladies until the field hit the final two furlongs of the race.
With the finishing line in sight the field sped up considerably, starting a mad sprint for home. Leading runner Barshiba got lost in the scuffle and pushed back to finish sixth out of seven runners. It was Antara, Stacelita and Midday who went head to head for the final furlong, battling until the last moments of the race for that length to make the difference. Although she seemed beaten only moments from the finish, Midday mobilised hidden resources and sped away from Stacelita and Antara in the last minute, making first place 1 ¼ lengths ahead of Stacelita, who was followed one length later by Antara. Strawberrydaiquiri, who was travelling smoothly under Ryan Moore, came fourth.
