See The Fire Looks to Upset Diamond Necklace in Nassau

Andrew Balding's team of mares has already done its job for the week, if not the month or more, with Kalpana (GB) winning the July 25 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) at Ascot Racecourse for Balding and Juddmonte. See The Fire (GB) has always lived in Kalpana's shadow, if only just, and she has been the one tasked with winning the 1 1/4-mile Nassau Stakes (G1) for fillies and mares July 30 at Goodwood Racecourse. Like Kalpana, she also faces a notable challenge from the Aidan O'Brien yard. The actual challenge is the undefeated Diamond Necklace (IRE), because the other O'Brien runner, Moments of Joy, is here on pacemaking duty. She served the same role for Diamond Necklace in the Prix de Diane (G1) last time. The pace in the Diane was even, so the expectation is that Moments of Joy will set a similar gallop. We know that suits See The Fire, too, though. The best run of her career, a hard-to-forget 12-length win in last year's Middleton Stakes (G2) at York Racecourse, came off a strong gallop which thinned out the field. See The Fire is yet to recapture that form this season, though she has won beneath herself twice while suggesting there was more in the tank. Her best is a match for Diamond Necklace, so much rests on whether the pace setup will allow her to show it. Friendly Soul Aims for Luck Friendly Soul (GB) could be considered one of the least fortunate top-level horses in training. Having missed an entire year following her success in the 2024 Prix de l'Opera (G1), her comeback was derailed when stepping in the infamous hole in Haydock Park's outer track back in May. While a less hazardous experience, she was done few favors when dropped back to a mile on Ascot's round course in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes (G2), getting shuffled back after early scrimmaging, only to find what began as a charmed run up the rail abruptly ended as doors were slammed shut. "She did not get a great passage at Ascot," said Tom Goff, European bloodstock adviser to owner George Strawbridge. "She got stuck at the back and when she made her run, Arisaig weakened and interrupted her passage. She came out of it well and she seems in great form. "She's a group 1 filly and it's time for her to step up in some group 1s. Blue Bolt obviously franked that form at Newmarket. We thought about the Falmouth as well, but I think a mile and a quarter is her best trip now that she's a 5-year-old. "It's very exciting but we're obviously taking on a very good filly of Aidan's, while we very much respect See The Fire and Botagoz. It's not a one-horse race, though 9 pounds is an awful lot to be giving away to a classic winner." Botagoz Steps Up Roger Varian used the Hoppings Stakes (G3) as a steppingstone for his 2023 Nassau winner Al Husn (IRE) and is attempting the same double with unexposed 3-year-old Botagoz (IRE), who is 3-from-4 and holds some fancy entries later in the summer and into the autumn. "I love the filly and I think she's a group 1 filly," Varian said. "Whether she is up to this at this stage of her career we'll only really find out on the day. "I love the filly and having won the group 3, I think this will really give us some direction on the rest of the year," Varian said. "Is she a filly to stay at 10 furlongs who can bounce on to a Sumbe Prix Jean and Louis Romanet? Or whether she should step up to a mile and a half, because she's in the Yorkshire Oaks and the Vermeille. "If we waited for any of those options, it would be eight weeks after Newcastle. While the Nassau is incredibly strong and select, timing-wise it's perfect between the Hoppings and either Deauville/York in three weeks or the Vermeille in five weeks." Varian added: "I think she's improved since Newcastle and it was nice to see (runner-up) Diamond Rain win nicely at York last week. "We're the least exposed and she needs to improve to get the better of the top three in the market. I think she's a group 1 filly, though whether she is up to winning a Nassau at this stage, we'll see." The Nassau Stakes is a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In event, granting the winner an automatic, fees-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) Oct. 31 at Keeneland.