Horsebetting.com give their 2018 Nassau Stakes betting tips and say Veracious is worth a bet to land the Group 1 feature on day three of Glorious Goodwood following an eye-catching run at Royal Ascot. Urban Fox rates the main danger in the 1m 2f race for fillies and mares on Thursday, 2 August. Rhododendron also holds claims, given her trainer Aidan O’Brien has won the last two runnings. For full details, read our in-depth 2018 Nassau Stakes betting tips preview.Veracious can collect for Stoute in Nassau StakesTrainer Sir Michael Stoute has a good record in the Nassau Stakes, so Veracious looks worth a bet to further enhance it in this year’s renewal of the Group 1 contest for fillies and mares over 1m 2f at Glorious Goodwood on Thursday (15:35) following an eye-catching return to action at Royal Ascot.
The daughter of Frankel has just two runs as a juvenile, shaping with promise when a tenderly handled third on debut at Newbury before scoring in terrific style at Newmarket. She ran on strongly to slam Winter Lightning in a 12-runner affair at headquarters and the manner of the victory suggested she would make up into a smart three-year-old.
That view was confirmed when Veracious was pitched into the deep end in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes over 1m at the royal meeting in June. Although eventually beaten 7 3/4 lengths into third behind the awesome Alpha Centauri, that does not tell the whole story.
She was forced to race very wide in the early stages, but then made good headway to take up the running five furlongs from home. Veracious then held every chance until being headed at the furlong marker and only lost second place close home.
It was a cracking effort after 252 days on the sidelines during a race in which the track record was broken. Veracious was also not given an unduly hard time by jockey Frankie Dettori, who is once again in the saddle. The winner had previously landed the Irish 1000 Guineas and has since gone on to complete a hat-trick of Group 1 successes by landing the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket by 4 1/2 lengths.
The fact that Stoute decided to run Veracious in such as hot contest after winning a maiden speaks volumes as to how highly he regards her. She is also entitled to come on bundles for that outing and her handler has saddled the winner of this on seven occasions.
That figure is bettered only by the late Sir Henry Cecil with eight wins, so Veracious looks to hold leading claims of equalling that total for her in-form Newmarket based trainer. We therefore put her up as the best bet among 2018 Nassau Stakes betting tips.Urban Fox holds solid claimsUrban Fox took her form to a new level last time out when landing the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh when stepped up to the 1m 2f trip of this for the first time and looks sure to make a bold bid to follow-up.
After travelling smoothly into the lead three furlongs from home, the William Haggas trained four-year-old asserted inside the last to win going away by 3 1/4 lengths from Forever Together. The runner-up had previously won the Epsom Oaks by 4 1/2 lengths and has since been beaten just a neck by Sea Of Class in the Irish equivalent.
Athena – the third home who was beaten a further 2 1/4 lengths – has gone to to capture a Grade 1 at Belmont Park across the Atlantic. That gives the form a rock solid look and there was no fluke about the victory.
Urban Fox has now won two of her three starts this season, so is clearly in the form of her life, on the improve and rated as the main danger here. She is also unexposed at the trip after that one start and may have even more to offer, especially with jockey Danny Tudhope aboard again as he’s two from two on her.Rhododendron bidding for O’Brien hat-trickAll-conquering Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien has won the last two runnings courtesy of Minding and Winter. His sole representative in this year’s renewal is Rhododendron, who has some top class form to her name and commands the utmost now stepped back up in trip.
This four-year-old daughter of Galileo is already a four-time Group 1 winner and she also finished runner-up to superstar filly Enable in last year’s Epsom Oaks. Her last success at the highest level came two starts back at Newbury where she held on gamely to score by a short-head in the 1m Lockinge Stakes.
Rhododendron then ran a bit below par last time out when a five-length ninth of 15 to Accidental Agent in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes over 1m at Royal Ascot, but appeared to run too freely that day and looks more than capable of bouncing back. The extra two furlongs in this may well see her in a much better light and she was successful on her sole previous visit to the track.
She does have to give an 8lb weight-for-age allowance to Veracious, but is officially rated 10lb higher than that rival. That suggests Rhododendron is the one to beat and she is also rated 2lb superior to Urban Fox whom she meets on level weights.Your Next Bet
