Glorious Goodwood Day Three Tips: Kevin Blake backs Opera Singer to shine in Nassau Stakes

• Kevin Blake gives his Group 1 Nassau Stakes verdict

• Race has little pace but O'Brien runner could give it a go

• Kevin backs Opera Singer to win the feature on Day Three

• Completely Free Bet on racing multiples for Glorious Goodwood

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Glorious Goodwood rolls on into day three on Thursday and the fillies very much take centre stage in the Qatar Nassau Stakes (15:35). This is a race that has produced so many utterly epic contests over the decades and this year's renewal looks to be a proper one on paper.

What you always hope this race will be is a clash of the generations with top-class older fillies and mares taking on the very best three-year-old fillies. We don't get this every year as it is asking a lot, but this year it looks to deliver just that.

Emily Upjohn is key to how the race unfolds

The John & Thady Gosden-trained Emily Upjohn has long been established as one of the very best race mares on the planet. While she has only won twice at Group 1 level in her career, one of those victories came against the boys in the Coronation Cup last year and she also finished a close second to Paddington in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on her next start after that.

Emily Upjohn's surprisingly light haul of Group 1s for one with so much talent appeals as being a reflection of the fact that she isn't an easy ride. She often pulls hard and this can make her a difficult one to manage in what are the primarily small-field contests that she contests.

Those difficulties were brought into sharp focus on her latest start in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh, as she got caught wide and ended up making very early headway to lead only to get run down late by Bluestocking. That she ran so well considering her inefficient distribution of energy speaks for her talent and offers encouragement that she might well retain most of her top-class ability as a five-year-old.

As well as that, Emily Upjohn's big run in the Pretty Polly Stakes was just her second start over a mile-and-a-quarter in Group 1 company and she has run two big races on both occasions despite the races not setting up ideally for her. Indeed, there is a possibility that the fullness of time will reveal that a mile-and-a-quarter is her best trip.

Emily Upjohn faces a bigger field than she often encounters here, though her connections are likely to have preferred a lower draw. Stall 10 of 10 will leave her a little vulnerable to getting caught wider than they'd like, as one suspects they'd love to bury her in deep cover on the rail if they could.

As always, Emily Upjohn will represent a big challenge to ride, but Kieran Shoemark will know all of this and it will be fascinating to see how the pairing fare.

15:35 Goodwood - Back Opera Singer

For all the proven class of Emily Upjohn, it is the Aidan O'Brien-trained Opera Singer that will be the focus of a great amount of excitement prior to this race. The European Champion Two-Year-Old Filly last year, she met with a setback in the string that denied her the opportunity to contest the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.

She was back in time for the Irish 1,000 Guineas, but her trainer couldn't stress enough that he felt she was a long way short of full fitness and was running with a view to bringing her on to get her to the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

In that context, Opera Singer ran a huge race to finish third to Fallen Angel. The hope was that she would come on significantly from that run and produce an even better effort in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

However, my own concern prior to that race was she was quite a different type to her three main rivals that day. Porta Fortuna, Ramatuelle and Elmalka were all fast-striding miling types in mechanical terms and the fear was that the slower-striding middle-distance type Opera Singer might be vulnerable to the pace of her rivals around that round mile.

As it transpired, Opera Singer ran a huge race, pressing the pace and keeping on strongly only to be out-speeded by the top-class Porta Fortuna in the closing stages.

Opera Singer's mechanics and physique have suggested from an early stage that a mile-and-a-quarter or even further will be her best trips. What she has shown so much over a mile is a testament to her talent and the promise of even better now that she steps up in trip should be obvious.

Of course, Emily Upjohn has been there, done it and has the rating to prove it. Opera Singer promises that she can do it but has to deliver now on her first test against her elders. While that will be no easy task, the fact that Opera Singer is so straightforward in tactical terms compared to Emily Upjohn will potentially make her transition into this stronger company that bit smoother.

Ryan Moore is likely to roll forward from stall eight on Opera Singer and will have the luxury of playing the race whatever way he finds it. His mount can make the running, sit prominent with or without cover or take her time. That versatility in the hands of a jockey as class as Ryan Moore is a potent weapon and Opera Singer is favoured to get the job done.

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