Opera Singer claimed the Qatar Nassau Stakes, a Group 1 contest for three-year-old+ fillies and mares over 2000m, as the races of the QREC-sponsored Qatar Goodwood Festival continued on Day 3 on Thursday with 9 races at the Goodwood Racecourse.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohamed bin Saoud al-Thani, ambassador of Qatar in the UK, in presence of Issa bin Mohamed al-Mohannadi, QREC Chairman, presented the trophies to the winners of the day’s feature event.
Runner-up of the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot on last outing, the three-year-old Opera Singer continued to progress, bouncing back to winning ways since she won the Group 1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac on the Qatar Prix De L’arc De Triomphe day last October.
Owned by M Tabor, D Smith, Mrs J Magnier & Westerberg and trained by Aidan O’Brien, Opera Singer is now a dual Group 1 winner. With Ryan Moore in the saddle, the Ballydoyle filly was fast away from the stalls and made all. Half a length ahead of Lumiere Rock (Saxon Warrior) entering the final straight but clear of the rest, the superb filly never looked in danger despite the late challenge of See The Fire (Sea The Stars) who finished second. The French raider Sparkling Plenty (Kingman) was an eye-catching third clocking the quickest final furlong.
“We were confident she would stay,” said trainer O’Brien. “She started late in the Irish Guineas. She was not quite there on ground, which was slow on the day which was not going to suit her. She ran a super race at Ascot and she won the Boussac over a mile last year, staying on very well.”
Today, the Qatar Goodwood Festival has seven races on the card, with the feature event being Group 2 King George Qatar Stakes. 13 runners were declared to run, including the listed winner Rogue Lightning, owned by Wathnan Racing; Group 1 winner in Santa Anita (US) Big Evs, presented by Michael Appleby; recent Group 2 winner Believing, who will run in the colours of Highclere T’Bred Racing; as well as Jasour, winner of the Commonwealth Cup Trial Stakes Group 3 at Royal Ascot.
