By Tom Frary
Aidan O'Brien knew he still had a top-class filly on his hands despite Opera Singer (Justify–Liscanna {re}, by Sadler's Wells) missing out on all the early-season mile monuments and the late Evie Stockwell's homebred who had wowed in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac duly delivered up in trip in Thursday's G1 Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood. Able to control the 10-furlong contest from the front throughout, the 9-4 second favourite really turned it on passing the three-furlong pole and had to be brave late as the 16-1 shot See The Fire (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) threatened to emulate her dam Arabian Queen (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in causing an upset in a prestige British Group 1.
Tough to the line in response to Ryan Moore's urgings, Opera Singer had a neck to spare over Jeff Smith's homebred, who was promoting the Eclipse form having been a well-beaten fourth behind City Of Troy (Justify) at Sandown. There was another 3/4 of a length to the speedy closer and G1 Prix de Diane heroine Sparkling Plenty (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) in third, with the 7-4 favourite Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) only sixth having looked uncomfortable on this unique track.
“We always felt she was crying out for a step up in trip and she's a very good filly who could step up further,” O'Brien said. “When Ryan got off her last year, he said this filly would come back and win the Arc. If she is going there, she might go for the [G1] Prix Vermeille before but if the ground was bad at Longchamp she could go to the Breeders' Cup instead. Last year, we thought her and City Of Troy were the best 2-year-old filly and colt we'd ever had.”
Beaten in two of her first three starts, Opera Singer made a significant jump up when sent over a mile for the first time since breaking her maiden and took The Curragh's G3 Newtownanner Stud Irish EBF Stakes by 6 1/2 lengths before her five-length Marcel Boussac romp. Hardwired as the ante-post 1,000 Guineas favourite as a result, she suffered her well-documented setback and as her trainer has repeatedly stated was only barely ready for the Irish equivalent.
Third in the Curragh Classic before narrowly failing to match the finishing kick of compatriot Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) in Royal Ascot's G1 Coronation Stakes, she was primed and ready for this and although her rider undoubtedly enjoyed the run of the race looked at the end as if she could continue the fight for another circuit.
“We're so positive with Justify–the one thing about them, they don't stop,” O'Brien said. “Every one of them, they keep going. Ryan gave her an incredible ride, he was so confident about her–he tells us and we follow him all the time. He makes it happen all the time for us.”
“I couldn't believe she was placed in the Irish Guineas–she was barely ready for a racecourse gallop when she went there and we let her go to Ascot and she ran a great race, but what we were wanting to do was step her up to a mile and a quarter all the time,” he added. “There's every chance she's going to get a mile and a half. Ryan said she was very classy to do it like that and he said she fought as well. She got a mile very strong in the Boussac, she opened up going to the furlong marker and galloped through the line.”
After a Sussex Stakes that unravelled for him on Wednesday, Moore was delighted things fell right here. “I was very confident she would stay. We're still learning about her, but she's shown herself to be top-class. She should build on this as well. She does everything beautifully. I thought she would take a lot of beating today and hopefully she will improve again. I could absolutely see her being an Arc filly, but there is plenty of water to go under the bridge.”
See The Fire's trainer Andrew Balding said of the gallant runner-up, “She is a very good filly and I am sure her turn will come. I am proud of the effort.”
Patrice Cottier said of Sparkling Plenty, “She just got a little unbalanced, but I am pleased with the run. It was always the plan to ride her at the back because we wanted her to relax. She finished really well. She might go for the Prix Vermeille and then we shall see.”
It was another bad day at the office for the uber-talented Emily Upjohn, but connections were quick to forgive the mare and look to the G1 Yorkshire Oaks which should be so much more up her street. “We were drawn in stall 10 which is never ideal here. She was a touch slowly away, but travelled well in the early part of the race,” Thady Gosden said. “Coming down the hill she did not pick up how you would have expected her to do. She seems fine afterwards. She is in good condition afterwards and she did not take long to cool down. We move on. The mile-and-a-half Yorkshire Oaks on a very fair track is a race which would suit her well.”
Pedigree Notes
Opera Singer is the 11th foal out of the G3 Ballyogan Stakes winner Liscanna (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), dam of four previous stakes performers by War Front headed by the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes and G3 Albany Stakes winner Brave Anna who was a $3-million purchase by Masahiro Miki at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale. Also responsible for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Hit It A Bomb, she is out of the dual listed winner and G2 Rockfel Stakes runner-up Lahinch (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) who was responsible for four black-type performers in total.
Alongside Lahinch, they are the G3 Kilternan Stakes winner The Bogberry (Hawk Wing), the G1 Oaks runner-up Ennistymon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and another daughter of Galileo in the G2 Kilboy Estate Stakes runner-up Lahinch Classics (Ire), who is in turn the dam of the GI Summer Stakes runner-up Grafton Street also by Brave Anna and Hit It A Bomb's sire War Front. After Opera Singer, Liscanna's latest foal is her full-brother born this year.
Thursday, Goodwood, Britain
QATAR NASSAU STAKES-G1, £665,000, Goodwood, 8-1, 3yo/up, f/m, 9f 197yT, 2:04.96, g/f.
1–OPERA SINGER, 127, f, 3, by Justify
1st Dam: Liscanna (Ire) (GSW-Ire, $118,164),
by Sadler's Wells
2nd Dam: Lahinch (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
3rd Dam: Dublah, by Private Account
O-M Tabor/D Smith/Mrs J Magnier/Westerberg; B-Mrs E
Stockwell (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £377,122.
Lifetime Record: G1SW-Fr, GSW & G1SP-Ire, 8-4-2-1,
$1,009,117. *1/2 to Threeandfourpence (War Front), SP-Ire,
$275,643; 1/2 to Hit It A Bomb (War Front), GISW-US, SW &
MGSP-Ire, $626,476; 1/2 to Brave Anna (War Front),
G1SW-Eng, $213,423; 1/2 to Border Town (War Front), GSP-
US, $401,428. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–See The Fire (GB), 127, f, 3, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Arabian
Queen (Ire), by Dubawi (Ire). O-Mr J C Smith; B-Littleton Stud
(GB); T-Andrew Balding. £142,975.
3–Sparkling Plenty (Fr), 127, f, 3, Kingman (GB)–Speralita (Fr),
by Frankel (GB). (€600,000 RNA Ylg '22 ARAUG; £5,000,000
HRA '24 GOFLO). O-Al Shaqab Racing & Jean Pierre Dubois;
B-Jean-Pierre Dubois (FR); T-Patrice Cottier. £71,554.
Margins: NK, 3/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 2.25, 16.00, 6.50.
Also Ran: Elmalka (GB), Doha (GB), Emily Upjohn (GB), Stay Alert (GB), Lumiere Rock (Ire), Lady Boba (GB). Scratched: Novus (Ire).
in FULL CRY
Opera Singer stays the ten furlongs well to win the Group 1 @Qatar_Racing Nassau Stakes under Ryan Moore.
Could she be an Arc contender?#QatarGoodwoodFestival #GloriousGoodwood pic.twitter.com/vM12Qa6I6f
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 1, 2024
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