Glorious Goodwood: Opera Singer hits all the right notes to land Nassau Stakes prize

Ryan Moore made most of the running on the Aidan O’Brien-trained three-year-old, who arrived on the back of a second in the G1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

A couple of late challenges were delivered by See The Fire and G1 Prix de Diane heroine Sparkling Plenty, but Opera Singer found plenty to score by a neck and three-quarters of a length.

The daughter of Justify – sire of her illustrious stablemate and Derby winner City Of Troy – was enjoying her second top-level success after last year’s Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac.

See a terrific gallery of more than 50 photos from Ladies’ Day here.

O’Brien said: “When Ryan got off Opera Singer last year after she won the Marcel Boussac, he said this filly could come back and win the Arc. She’s a very special filly. Ryan gave her an incredible ride, too, but he was so confident about her. He makes it happen all the time for us.

“We had an interrupted spring with her; she was barely ready for a racecourse gallop when she went to The Curragh for the Guineas, and then we left her to go straight to Ascot, where she ran a great race. All we were wanting to do was step her up to a mile and a quarter, and that was here. There is every chance she will get a mile and a half. She’s very classy. Ryan just said she was waiting in front – to do that in front of a bunch of fillies like that, and she fought as well, so you’d have to be pleased with that.

“She’ll go to one of the fillies’ races in France [before the Arc] and she can have a run around the track and that kind of thing. Something like that, but the lads will decide what they want to do.

“I don’t think she needs to be tested at 12 furlongs before the Arc. She could do it, but we always thought she’ll stay. She’d have to run before then, anyway.

“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 felt another horse went to make the running and it messed up his pace a little bit, and she was beaten by a very good filly. It always looked like she was crying out to go a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half.

“Justifys – the one thing about them, they don’t stop. Every one of them, they keep going.

“Ryan should keep improving until he’s 45 and he’s only 41! I tell him every year he’s getting better!”

Moore said: “I was very confident that Opera Singer would stay. She does everything beautifully. She is fine at 10 furlongs but I don't think 12 would be an issue. When she won the Boussac on her last year, I thought she was an Arc filly.

“The only reason she didn't run in the Guineas was because she had a little setback. She started late in the Irish Guineas on ground that was slow on the day, which didn't suit her. She still ran very well.

“She ran a super race at Ascot, where she was beaten by Donnacha's good filly [Porta Fortuna]. We always felt when she won the Boussac at a mile last year that, staying on very well, that she would be a 10 or 12-furlong filly.

“I thought she would take a lot of beating today and hopefully she will improve again.”

Thursday, as always at Glorious, was Ladies’ Day, featuring – at the start of the afternoon – the Markel Magnolia Cup, a race for amateur female riders which has raised more than £2.4m for charities since it was launched just over a decade ago.

Already this week on the Downs we have seen Kyprios win the Goodwood Cup on a stunning opening day and Notable Speech pull off an impressive Sussex Stakes victory.

Lizzie Jelfs, an Australia-based TV presenter who specialises in horseracing, was victorious in the 2024 renewal.

British-born Jelfs, who has been riding out for Newmarket trainer Harry Eustace in preparation for the five-and-a-half-furlong charity race, partnered successfully with her mount Reins Reigns Rains.

Since its inception, the Markel Magnolia Cup has raised £2.4 million for charitable causes. This year, the Markel Magnolia Cup supports My Sisters’ House, a West Sussex women’s centre focussed on welfare and wellbeing, reducing risk of domestic abuse and supporting recovery.

Jelfs said: “Amazing experience! A big thank you to Harry Eustace - he provided me with a wonderful horse. I was just the passenger on board and enjoyed every experience. They were a great group of girls – so lovely, we’ve all got together and had a great time. Our thoughts are with Amy [Moring] who had a tumble at the start, but I’m sure she will be fighting fit.”

Tom Marquand and trainer William Haggas registered their first wins of the 2024 Qatar Goodwood Festival as Approval charged home to take the Coral Kincsem Handicap.

The 11/2 chance, who carried the colours of Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, was positioned in midfield of the ten runners in the straight, and when the 18/5 favourite Midnight Gun moved off the far rail, Marquand saw that as the best route home.

Approval quickened into the lead with half a furlong to run and held the challenge of Brioni by a neck, with Midnight Gun another neck back in third. The winner was last seen finishing unplaced in Royal Ascot’s Golden Gates Handicap, although he had been an impressive winner at Windsor on his previous start.

Marquand said: “We kind of felt going into Ascot that Approval had won his novice at Windsor in impressive fashion from the front, so that day I almost made the running by default. We tried to repeat the tactics at Ascot, but he just did far too much and, at that track, you can’t get away with it."

Assistant trainer Maureen Haggas said: “Approval would have been unlucky if he had got beaten because he tried every gap. He did well to win. He won at Windsor making the running and he went too free at Ascot.

“Today we thought there would be plenty of pace, so we dropped in and then they slowed it down considerably. I thought maybe he was in trouble, but actually he accepted it, and he has done really well to run a really nice race.”

Irish raider Black Forza (9/1) stamped himself as a two-year-old with a bright future as he came fast and late to win the G2 Markel Richmond Stakes.

Black Forza was nearer last than first for much of the six-furlong contest but produced a good turn of foot to collar 11/10 favourite The Strikin Viking close home. The winning margin was half a length, with Intrusively also arriving late to take third, a further three-quarters of a length behind.

The son of Complexity became a first success at the Qatar Goodwood Festival for jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle and a second for trainer Michael O’Callaghan.

Owned by Eleanora Kennedy and bred in the USA, Black Forza was bought for £220,000 at Doncaster’s breeze-up sale in April and won a maiden at Fairyhouse last time out.

O’Callaghan, who won the 2020 Molecomb Stakes with Steel Bull, said: “Fantastic – to win the Richmond is very special. This is a horse we bought at the breeze-ups. Goodwood has been lucky for us; I didn’t get to be here when Steel Bull won the Molecomb. For this horse to come here was kind of the plan even before he won his maiden, the loose plan. He’s a talented colt who loves that ground. He was flat out for the first half of the race and was just getting going at the line – he hit the line very strong. He’ll be better in a better race. We’ll enjoy today first and then make some plans.”

The lightly raced Jan Brueghel maintained his unbeaten record in the G3 John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes, a recognised trial for the G1 St Leger at Doncaster.

Ryan Moore pushed the 4/5 favourite alongside pace-setter Meydaan after turning into the straight, and his mount showed tenacity to hold off challenges from eventual runner-up Bellum Justum and Sayedaty Sadaty. The distances were a neck and almost four lengths.

Jan Brueghel is now unbeaten in three starts, having won a maiden by eight lengths and the G3 International Stakes at the Curragh.

This was a fourth success in the John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes for trainer Aidan O’Brien, with his previous winners including multiple G1 scorers Highland Reel (2015) and Mogul (2020).

O’Brien said: “Jan Brueghel stays very well. He is very babyish and green. He had to do an extra round in the parade ring because we were talking, and Ryan had to go down on his own. He said he was very green going to the start.”

Hampshire trainer Ralph Beckett saddled the first and second in the Jaeger-LeCoultre Nursery Handicap, as Mr Chaplin snatched victory from Original Outlaw.

Original Outlaw seemed set for victory after pulling clear from his 15 rivals, but his stablemate (10/1), who still had six horses to pass at the furlong marker, found reserves to swoop late under Rossa Ryan and land the spoils by a neck.

The 11/4 favourite El Burhan was another length and a half further back in third, while Sunshine State finished fourth.

Mick Appleby maintained his winner-a-day record at this year’s Qatar Goodwood Festival as Shagraan scorched to victory in the Buccellati Handicap over five furlongs.

Appleby scored with Kitai in the HKJC World Pool Fillies’ Handicap on day one and Big Mojo in yesterday’s G3 Jaeger-LeCoultre Molecomb Stakes. His stable star Big Evs tackles tomorrow’s G2 King George Qatar Stakes.

Shagraan (7/2JF), who joined Appleby from Clive Cox’s stable last autumn, won by half a length from Got To Love A Grey, with the same distance back to Toca Madera in third. Mc Loven was fourth.

Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore brought up a treble on day three as Dreamy made a winning introduction in the Tatler British EBF Fillies’ Maiden.

Showing signs of greenness, Dreamy (5/2F) seemed set for second place as her more-experienced rival Bouvier made the best of her way home. Yet under typical Moore handling, Dreamy switched on in the closing stages and forged past to win by a neck. Tundra Rose was a length and three-quarters further back in third.

The winner is a daughter of G1 Yorkshire Oaks winner Tapestry and comes from the family of great racemare Miesque.

Paul & Oliver Cole got on the scoresheet with 20/1 shot Great Chieftain in the concluding HKJC World Pool Handicap over a mile.

Joe Fanning partnered the gelding, who was on a career-high mark of 74 having won at Newbury and finished a close second at Windsor.

In the 14-runner field, Great Chieftain emerged from the widest stall and steadily worked his way through the field before taking command inside the final furlong.