Opera Singer proves pitch-perfect in Nassau Stakes

Opera Singer benefitted from a fine front-running ride by Ryan Moore to oblige at 10 furlongs on the first time of asking in the Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood – and now looks bound for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Last season’s champion juvenile filly had a setback in the spring, which delayed her return to action and denied her an outing in the 1000 Guineas.

A daughter of Justify, she made her comeback in the Irish equivalent, surpassing expectations when finishing third, and she came forward again when narrowly beaten by Porta Fortuna in the Coronation Stakes.

Moore was keen to dictate on Aidan O’Brien’s charge and she took two lengths out of the field with two furlongs to run.

The closers were gaining deep inside the final furlong, with Andrew Balding’s See The Fire running a career-best and getting to within a neck, while French Oaks winner Sparkling Plenty rattled home for third behind the 9-4 winner.

However, the supplemented Emily Upjohn was disappointing, never threatening to get in a serious blow.

O’Brien said: “We’re so positive with Justify. When Ryan got off her last year, he said this filly would come back and win the Arc. When he rode City (Of Troy) last year, he said something the same, that he’d never ridden something like it before.

“Ryan gave her an incredible ride, he was so confident about her. We listen to what Ryan says, he tells us and we follow him all the time.

“Ryan said after the Boussac last year ‘this filly will win the Arc’. We had an interrupted spring with her, she was barely ready for a racecourse gallop in the spring, when she went for the Guineas.

“We left her after that to 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 and that was here.

“There’s every chance she’s going to get a mile and a half. Ryan said she was very classy to do that in front of a bunch of fillies like that and Ryan said she fought as well. I’m impressed with her really.

“She could go to one of the fillies’ races in France, she could go to the track (ParisLongchamp) and have a look at it. The Vermeille or those kinds of things, but the lads will decide what they want to do.

“I don’t think she needs to (run over the trip prior to the Arc), but she could do it; we’ll see, I suppose. I don’t want to be saying we’ll do something and not do it, but she’d have to run once before then anyway.

“She got a mile very strong in the Boussac, she opened up going into the furlong marker and galloped through the line.

“I couldn’t believe she was placed in the Irish Guineas, couldn’t believe it, she wasn’t ready to be placed but she got placed.

“The second day Ryan just felt another horse went to make the running and it just messed up his pace a little bit. He was over the moon with her and she was beaten by a very good filly.

“It always looked like the filly was crying out to go over a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half. Justifys, one thing about them is they keep going. Every one of them is the same, they just keep going.”

Speaking further on his jockey, O’Brien smiled: “Ryan? He should keep improving until he’s 45 and he’s only 40! I always keep telling him, every year he’s getting better.”

Moore added: “I was very confident she would stay. We always felt when she won the Boussac at a mile last year that, staying on very well, she would be a 10- or 12-furlong filly.

“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.”