Lailani heads class field at Goodwood

Few horses have progressed through the summer as dramatically as Lailani, whoheads the field for the Group 1 Vodafone Nassau Stakes at Goodwood on Saturday.

Ed Dunlop’s fillykicked off in the spring with a win in a Windsor maiden and has since reeled off four more successes, culminating in the Irish Oaks at The Curragh. Her climb up the ladder has been meteoric, to say the least. Her defeat of stable companion Mot Juste in Ireland last month provided trainer Dunlop with the pinnacle of his burgeoning career.

He brings Lailani back from a mile and a half to a mile and a quarter here and clearlybelieves this should present no problems for his improving filly.

Time Away, trained by Dunlop’s father John, was third in the Irish Oaks and Sequoyah, Aidan O’Brien’s first string here, was fourth.

Geoff Wragg’s Danceabout endured a nightmare run when fourth behind Proudwingsin the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket.She had to come round the entire field tochallenge but the winner had flown.

Danceabout is a high class filly who has shown a liking for the undulations ofGoodwood and if Lailani is to have her winning run checked it could be by the Wraggfour-year-old.

The Vodafone Stewards Cup will be the usual cavalry charge and if the rains continueDanielle’s Lad, trained in the Vale of Glamorgan by Gryn Palling, could have asporting each way chance.

Danielle’s Lad won over the course anddistance in soft ground last season and,granted similar conditions, is fancied to run a big race. On hearing his sprinter’s stallsdraw of 21, Palling said: “That’s great. I just want the rain to continue until Saturdayand then Danielle’s Lad will have a sporting chance.”