'Special' Opera Singer enters Arc picture after winning Nassau under 'brilliant' front-running Ryan Moore ride

We are used to hearing Aidan O'Brien describe his horses with superlatives but it was Ryan Moore who received a glowing review this time after producing a ride that was sublime in its simplicity when winning the Nassau Stakes on Opera Singer.

Moore rode the three-year-old with complete confidence in the fact she would stay further than a mile and that proved to be the case when she made all and battled bravely in the closing stages to narrowly hold off the fast-finishing See The Fire.

Her connections have raised the tantalising prospect of a tilt at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, a race Moore believed she was more than capable of winning after she ended her two-year-old campaign with victory in the Prix Marcel Boussac in October.

"Ryan has so much confidence in her and it was a brilliant ride," said O'Brien, before joking that there is more improvement to come from the jockey. "He's 40 and I tell him Flat jockeys shouldn't peak until they're at least 45 – he's still getting better."

Opera Singer and Ryan Moore return to the winner's enclosure after the Nassau Stakes with groom Trevor O'NeillCredit: Edward Whitaker

The same is undoubtedly true of Opera Singer. She was scintillating over a mile at two, winning by five lengths at the highest level at Longchamp, but prodigies do not always fulfil their potential and her Classic campaign got off to a tumultuous start.

After a setback, the daughter of Justify was only able to make her reappearance in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, in which she was third, before chasing home Porta Fortuna in a vintage running of the Coronation Stakes. It would have been easy to lose the faith but her connections remained unwavering in their belief in her enormous ability.

"We had an interrupted spring with her and I couldn't believe she placed in the Irish Guineas because she was barely ready for a racecourse gallop," said O'Brien. "She then ran a great race behind a very good filly at Ascot and Ryan was over the moon.

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"Ryan said she was just waiting in front today and to do that against a bunch of fillies like that is very impressive. She's very special and she fought as well. We always wanted to try a mile and a quarter and there's now every chance she'll get further."

Opera Singer was cut to 5-1 (from 12) by Paddy Power for the Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks on August 22 and is 12-1 generally for the Arc, in which she could serve as a more than capable substitute for Classic-winning stablemate City Of Troy.

"We thought Opera Singer and City Of Troy were the best colt and filly we've ever had as two-year-olds last year," added O'Brien. "When Ryan got off her after the Boussac last year he said she'd win the Arc. She's very classy. She'll have to have another race before then and could go for a fillies' contest in France, such as the Prix Vermeille."

Aidan O'Brien: ""We thought Opera Singer and City Of Troy were the best colt and filly we've ever had as two-year-olds last year"Credit: Edward Whitaker

Moore believes there could be more to come from the winner. He said: "We're still learning about her. She's shown herself to be top class and hopefully she'll build on this. She's straightforward and does everything beautifully. I'm delighted with her."

The race was billed as a clash of the generations between Opera Singer and Emily Upjohn, potential versus proven ability, youth versus experience, but it was See The Fire who came closest to catching the winner when finishing clear of Prix de Diane heroine Sparkling Plenty, who was part-sold for £5 million last month.

"It was a good run from See The Fire," said Oisin Murphy, wearing a black armband for Tim Hercock, an equestrian and racing enthusiast who died from a quad biking accident. "I thought it was a pace collapse from two furlongs out and I felt I'd pick up Ryan, but as he taught me in the previous race, he takes a bit of passing."

Emily Upjohn, sent off the 7-4 favourite under Kieran Shoemark, could manage only sixth and joint-trainer John Gosden said: "She travelled fine but got a little bit far back. She never really picked up, so I think we should be taking the hood off her now. She was fine after the race and hardly blowing. We'll freshen her up and look at the Yorkshire Oaks."

Racing Post Ratings verdict

By Matt Gardner, handicapper

Emily Upjohn understandably dominated the betting in this year’s Nassau Stakes, being the highest-rated horse on Racing Post Ratings to run in the race since Midday and Crystal Capella in 2011.

For all that Emily Upjohn stood out on form, things didn’t go to plan for her from an early stage and she was trapped wide throughout as she came home a disappointing sixth.

Opera Singer: a filly on the upCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

In contrast to Emily Upjohn’s fortunes, Opera Singer was soon calling the shots in front, with furlong-by-furlong sectionals highlighting just how well judged Ryan Moore’s ride was.

On-screen splits of 13.55 and 13.49 seconds at the top of the hill preceded an injection of pace, five furlongs to four furlongs out being covered in 11.45 before the race really heated up and Opera Singer extended her advantage, with the next two furlongs dropping to 10.88 and 11.20 seconds.

For all her advantages on the day, Opera Singer is clearly a filly on the up. A slightly belated start to her season following a setback saw a below-par comeback in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, but she matched her peer-leading juvenile form when second in the Coronation Stakes and surpassed that level here, with her new RPR being 117.

Three-year-olds have now won seven of the last ten runnings of the Nassau and Opera Singer’s figure sits right on the average of that group. It also splits her trainer Aidan O’Brien’s two most recent winners of the race, Winter and Minding, who were rated 118 and 116 respectively.

Nassau winners on RPRs

2024 Opera Singer 117
2023 Al Husn 116
2022 Nashwa 119
2021 Lady Bowthorpe 118
2020 Fancy Blue 117
2019 Deirdre 117
2018 Wild Illusion 116
2017 Winter 118
2016 Minding 116
2015 Legatissimo 118

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