Murphy monitoring Goodwood going for Nassau hope Cercene

Ground conditions are likely to dictate whether Cercene will take on the likes of See The Fire and Whirl in what looks a quality renewal of the Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood on Thursday.

Just seven fillies remain in contention for the 10-furlong Group One following the confirmation stage, with Aidan O’Brien’s Oaks runner-up and Pretty Polly Stakes winner Whirl the 6-4 favourite with Coral.

The Andrew Balding-trained See The Fire is next in the betting at 7-4, having finished third against the boys in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, where Joe Murphy’s Cercene ran out a surprise winner of the Coronation Stakes over a mile.

With connections of the latter subsequently deciding against stepping up to a mile and a half for the Irish Oaks, she is set to run over the intermediate distance on the Sussex Downs, with Coral making her an 8-1 shot, but Murphy is keeping an eye on underfoot conditions.

“The plan is to go for the Nassau, ground permitting – we don’t want any rain,” he said on Friday.

“We’re very happy with the filly, but if there’s any soft in the ground I couldn’t see her going. Good/good to firm would suit us perfect.

“We thought going the mile and a quarter would be better for future reference, rather than going straight to a mile and a half (in the Irish Oaks). We’ve no problems with a mile and a half as she’s a very relaxed filly, but she travels well.”

On handling the undulations of Goodwood, Murphy added: “She’s a very well balanced filly and we don’t envisage any problems with it, but you don’t know until you try.

“There’s only one Nassau, it’s a good race and they’re the races you want to win.”

Whirl is one of two potential runners for O’Brien along with French Oaks runner-up Bedtime Story, with Karl Burke’s Fallen Angel, John and Thady Gosden’s Running Lion and Gavin Hernon’s potential French raider Dare To Dream the other hopefuls.

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