By Sean Cronin
Coolmore and Westerberg's G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and G1 Coronation Stakes placegetter Opera Singer (Justify) and supplementary entry Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) are the leading lights left after 10 of 12 overnight nominees stood their ground for Thursday's G1 Qatar Nassau Stakes. Opera Singer, last term's impressive G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner, is on course to make her first start beyond the one-mile distance while it will be dual Group 1 winner Emily Upjohn's first visit to the Sussex Downs venue. The latter's Team Gosden stablemate Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Zinlo Syndicate's 'TDN Rising Star' Purple Lily (Ire) (Calyx {GB}) were the only absentees at Tuesday morning's declaration stage.
Thursday's £665,000 renewal of the near 10-furlong contest also marks the first appearance of G1 Prix de Diane heroine Sparkling Plenty (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) since she caused a stir at last month's Goffs London sale. Al Shaqab Racing parted with £5-million for 50% of the 3-year-old distaffer in the immediate aftermath of a staggering £8.1-million final bid at the Kensington Palace Gardens fixture. Al Shaqab also stumped up the £40,000 fee to add Ralph Beckett trainee Doha (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), a stakes-placed daughter of dual Arc heroine heroine Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}), before last Friday's supplementary deadline and she will likely be utilised as a pace regulator for Sparkling Plenty. Beckett also has G2 Lancashire Oaks third Lady Boba (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) engaged.
Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's G1 1000 Guineas heroine Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}) finished two places behind Opera Singer when fourth in Royal Ascot's G1 Coronation Stakes last month and, like that reopposing rival, will go beyond the one-mile trip for the first time. Coronation Stakes fifth See The Fire (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), the third representative of her sire, returns off a fourth behind City of Troy (Justify) in this month's G1 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown. The field is completed by Michael O'Flynn's Lumiere Rock (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), Omar Jackson's Novus (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) and Hughie Morrison trainee Stay Alert (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Ire}).
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