The big Group 1 on Day 3 at the Qatar Goodwood Festival saw a talented field of fillies and mares battle over 1m2f in the Nassau Stakes. One of the classiest events of its type, the race attracted star performers from Britain, Ireland, and France, with strong challengers from the Classic generation and the older age bracket.
Late supplementary entry Emily Upjohn led the charge for the older runners, with the five-year-old thoroughly proven at the top level and backed into favouritism to add a third Group 1 to her CV. However, she would need to be at her very best to concede 8lb to the youngsters.
It was a testament to the standard on show that the only Classic winner in the field – 1000 Guineas heroine Elmalka – sat only fourth in the betting. Prix de Diane winner Sparkling Plenty sat ahead of here, but the Aidan O’Brien-trained Opera Singer was expected to give the favourite the most to think about.
A Group 1 winner as a juvenile, she was zero from two in 2024 but had taken a big step forward when second in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. Hopes were high that the step up in trip would see her take another step forward as she tackled 1m2f for the first time.
Another Moore Masterclass
Ryan Moore had no luck with his plan to make the running aboard Henry Longfellow in the Sussex Stakes earlier in the week but found no such trouble here, with his rival jockeys content to let the Ballydoyle number one set the fractions. That is always a potentially dangerous game, and so it proved.
Despite being drawn in stall eight of nine, Moore tacked across to grab the inside rail as the field rounded the first bend. The perfect start, but the daughter of Justify still needed to prove she stayed this trip well enough to hold off the talented squadron of rivals held on to for a late challenge.
Three lengths clear at the 2f pole, Emily Upjohn failed to fire, but challenges emerged from the charging See The Fire and Sparkling Plenty. Neither could get there though, with Opera Singer seeing it out well to score by a neck.
Return To France The Big Target for the Season?
Now back in the Group 1 winners enclosure, it seems that Opera Singer’s ultimate aim will be the most prestigious 1m4f event on the planet, with a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on the cards.
Opera Singer wins the Nassau and is 4/1 for the Yorkshire Oaks and remains unchanged at 14/1 for the Arc de Triomphe
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It was at the 2023 Arc meeting that Opera Singer first exploded onto the Group 1 scene with a scintillating five-length romp in the Prix Marcel Boussac. Mentioned as a potential 2024 Arc contender by Ryan Moore in the aftermath of that race, the fact that she handles the track and the type of ground likely to be on offer in the Paris autumn count in her favour, with the only question being the further step up in trip to 1m4f. The Yorkshire Oaks in three weeks may help answer that question for a filly who is now a general 10/1 shot for the Paris showpiece.
Talented Home Team Lie In Wait
If there is a trainer you would back to wrest the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe from the hands of the home team, it is surely Aidan O’Brien. Successful with Dylan Thomas in 2007, O’Brien posted a remarkable 1-2-3 in the 2016 edition but has drawn a blank since.
With City Of Troy, Los Angeles, and Continuous also among the entries, he will have high hopes of re-entering the winner’s enclosure in 2024 but faces a typically strong French challenge.
A perfect three from three in his career, Look De Vega looked sensational in the Prix du Jockey Club and is currently out on his own at the head of the market for Carlos & Yan Lerner. With eight wins, André Fabre is the most successful trainer in Arc history and will have high hopes for his Grand Prix de Paris hero, Sosie. As ever, the 2024 edition of the great race is shaping up to be a truly unmissable affair.
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