Goodwood: Minding, the world’s joint-best three-year-old filly, is the formidable favourite for Saturday’s Group 1 £600,000 (Dh2.9 million) Qatar Nassau Stakes, the richest race in Europe confined to fillies and mares, but Godolphin’s Saeed Bin Surour will be hoping that Beautiful Romance can run the race of her life and cause a surprise on the final day of the 2016 Qatar Goodwood Festival.

Beautiful Romance is a horse that has always pleased Bin Surour and produced a big effort to win the Group 2 Middleton Stakes at York in May before delivering a modest effort to finish fifth in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot last time out.

Bin Surour, who won this contest in 1999 with Zahrat Dubai, understands the enormity of the task facing his filly but remained positive and was hoping for more rain at the West Sussex track.

“She won the Group 2 Middleton Stakes at York, where she showed a lot of class,” the trainer pointed out.

“She’s in good form, and I am hoping she can run a good race. Any more rain would help,” he added.

A well-bred daughter of New Approach, Beautiful Romance holds entries for some major Group 1 races in the second half of the season including the Darley Yorkshire Oaks at York (August 18) and the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown (September 10).

Minding, a dual Group 1 winner as a two-year-old, was named the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly of the Year in 2015. The well-bred daughter of Galileo was an easy winner of the English 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket in May, before finishing second to Jet Setting in the Irish equivalent later that month.

She returned to her top form when taking the Group 1 Epsom Oaks in June and continued her upward curve in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes, when taking on older opponents for the first time. It was her fifth Group 1 success.

Godolphin are two-handed with Bin Surour’s Hold Tight and Charlie Appleby’s Baccarat in the Qatar Stewards’ Cup, a Europe’s richest sprint handicap worth £250,000 that was first run in 1840.

Saeed Bin Surour commented: “Hold Tight has been working nicely and the drop back to six furlongs will suit him. Any rain would be helpful, as good ground would be ideal, but he heads to Goodwood in good order.”

Appleby added: “Baccarat won the Wokingham Handicap two years ago and seems to be suited by these big handicaps. He has been going well at home and hopefully he can put his best foot forward.”

Godolphin’s other runners on Saturday also include Bin Surour’s Move Up who takes his chances in the Qatar Handicap while Hornsby and Venturous both line up in the Qatar Stakes.

 

Saturday’s Feature Races

Goodwood, England

3.10pm Qatar Nassau Stakes (Group 1, 3yo+ fillies 1m 1f)

3.45pm Qatar Stewards’ Cup (3yo+ 6f)

Minding (1/3), Swiss Range (6/1), Jemayel (12/1), Beautiful Romance (14/1), Queen’s Trust (14/1)