See The Fire’s potent late surge saw her get to within a neck of winning the G1 Nassau Stakes (1984m) at last year’s Glorious Goodwood meeting and, on Thursday (31 July), Oisin Murphy’s mount has a first-rate chance of setting that record straight.
Goodwood's undulations do not suit every horse with balance a crucial requirement, but by delivering one of her career-best performances on her only previous start here, See The Fire announced that the 1984m trip at this racecourse was right up her street.
It was Aidan O'Brien's front-running Opera Singer who posted herself between See The Fire and the sunshine that day. O'Brien also appears to be the chief obstacle for four-year-old See The Fire on Thursday, sending high powered three-year-olds Whirl (Ryan Moore) and Bedtime Story (Wayne Lordan) to the beautiful Sussex racecourse.
O'Brien has already been in Group 1 winning form at this meeting when Lordan's mount Scandinavia ran down stablemate Illinois, partnered by Moore, climaxing a thrilling stretch duel in Tuesday's G1 Goodwood Cup (3209m).
And Andrew Balding, who also had a Goodwood winner on Tuesday (29 July), saw his brilliant filly Kalpana come close to Group 1 glory in last Saturday's (26 July) G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2392m) at Ascot.
Of See the Fire – who had quickened to a 12 lengths winning verdict in the G2 Middleton Fillies' Stakes (2051m) at York in May, Balding says: "She's a very exciting filly and we have always fancied going back for the Nassau."
Whirl had only narrowly failed to steal the G1 Oaks Stakes (2405m) from the front at Epsom in June, showing that to be no fluke after courageously rallying to beat Kalpana in the G1 Pretty Polly Stakes (2000m) at the Curragh in June.
O'Brien says of this resilient daughter of Wootton Bassett: "She was coming back in trip and when you are trying to outstay a rival as good as Kalpana that is very difficult but Ryan (Moore) got it spot on. And as we had seen in the Oaks, Whirl wasn't for surrendering."
O'Brien's Bedtime Story is not to be ignored either having delivered a clear personal best – despite having to challenge wide and late – when second in the G1 Prix de Diane (2100m) at Chantilly in June.
In a race jam packed with fillies who relish a battle, Cercene must also not be forgotten. An outsider for Royal Ascot's G1 Coronation Stakes (1594m), she looked beaten when high-profile French-trained filly Zarigana accelerated past her. Instead, she rallied magnificently for Thursday's jockey Gary Carroll and in the process gave her trainer Joseph G Murphy a first Group 1 winner in his many decades as a trainer.
Another intriguing contest on Thursday is the G3 HKJC World Pool Gordon Stakes (2403m). The fast-improving William Haggas-trained Merchant is sure to be popular, given a 42-day break since he had accelerated stylishly from off the pace under Tom Marquand to defeat 18 rivals in Royal Ascot's King George V Stakes (2392m).
