Opera Singer has never been tried at 1 1/4 miles, never faced older fillies and mares, and has not won since October. Despite all that, Opera Singer is an early favorite with British bookmakers to win Thursday’s Group 1 Nassau Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles at Goodwood Racecourse in Britain. Trained in Ireland by Aidan O’Brien, Opera Singer won the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac for 2-year-old fillies at a mile in France last year. Earlier this season, Opera Singer was raced at a mile in two Group 1 races, finishing third by 4 3/4 lengths in the Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh on May 26 and a game second by a length in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot in Britain on June 21. As of Monday, the $854,300 Nassau Stakes had a projected field of 12, with seven older fillies and mares and five 3-year-old fillies among the nominees. The Nassau Stakes is one of Britain’s leading races of the summer for the division, and a race that could produce a few starters for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 2. The list of expected runners includes Inspiral, the outstanding winner of the BC Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita last November from well off the pace. Inspiral is trained by John and Thady Gosden, who also have the multiple stakes winner Emily Upjohn among potential runners. :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  As of Monday, Opera Singer was 13-8 in early betting, followed by Emily Upjohn (9-4) and Inspiral (8-1). Sparkling Plenty, winner of the Group 1 French Oaks on June 16, was 10-1. Both Emily Upjohn and Inspiral are similar to Opera Singer in that they have lofty reputations but no wins to show this season. Emily Upjohn, winless in five starts since the Group 1 Coronation Cup against males at 1 1/2 miles at Epsom Racecourse in June 2023, was fourth of five in this year’s Coronation Cup on May 31 and second by a half-length in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles at the Curragh on June 29. Emily Upjohn led by more than three lengths with a furlong remaining in the Pretty Polly Stakes, but could not hold off the late run of Bluestocking. Inspiral is winless in two starts in Group 1 races against males in Britain this year, finishing a well-beaten fourth in the Lockinge Stakes at a mile at Newbury in May and only sixth of 10 in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Royal Ascot on June 19. Of the three principal candidates for the Nassau Stakes, Inspiral is the only one to have raced at Goodwood, finishing last of five against males in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes last summer on soft turf. The forecast for Thursday is for good turf, which may help Inspiral’s chances to reverse a brief losing streak. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.