Sadly
, only four fillies will line up against the hot-favourite on day three of
Glorious Goodwood, and one of those is the Ballydoyle pacemaker
Moments Of Joy, who made the running for Diamond Necklace in the Prix de Diane last time out.
2024 Nassau runner-up,
See The Fire returns to Goodwood on the back of an underwhelming run in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes. John and Thady Gosden are represented by former Group One winner
Friendly Soul, last seen finishing third to Blue Bolt at Royal Ascot. Rober Varian's lightly-raced Hoppings Fillies' Stakes winner,
Botagoz completes the line-up.
2026 Nassau Stakes Tips
Diamond Necklace only has three rivals to beat as she looks to maintain her unbeaten record. Aidan O'Brien's filly has won more Group Ones than the rest of the field combined, and she'll be getting nine pounds from the older mares.
However, Diamond Necklace has never raced in the UK before, and this will be the fastest ground she has ever encountered. Ryan Moore's mount only won the Prix de Diane by a neck despite going off as the 1/2 favourite. If the ground or the trip was to blame for that underwhelming performance, then favourite backers could be in for a shock on Thursday afternoon.
I'm going to side with FRIENDLY SOUL (9/2). John and Thady Gosden's mare ended her three-year-old campaign with an impressive victory in the Prix de l'Opera, but missed the entirety of 2025 through injury. She almost had her season – and potentially her career – ended when she stepped into a pothole on her long-awaited return to action at Haydock in May.
Friendly Soul then dropped down to a mile for the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot. Oisin Murphy was forced to bide his time at the rear of the field and had to wait for a gap to open on the rail in the straight. Friendly Soul picked up well in the closing stages and managed to get within three lengths of Blue Bolt at the line.
Blue Bolt has since gone on to thrash Aidan O'Brien's top three-year-old miler, Precise, in the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket, while Duke Of Cambridge Stakes fourth Kon Tiki beat the three-year-olds in a Group Three last Saturday. Friendly Soul is already a Group One winner over this distance, and some of the best performances of her career have come on fast ground.
Live Stream
Visit our
Nassau Stakes Live Stream page if you want to watch any of Thursday's races at Goodwood via a mobile or tablet.