Qatar Nassau Stakes (Group 1)

OPERA Singer provided Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore with a second Group winner of the day as she held off See The Fire (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy) to win a thrilling renewal of the Group 1 Nassau Stakes.

The 9/4 chance was given a perfectly judged front-running ride by Ryan Moore, but she faced stern challenges in the closing stages.

First, Lumiere Rock loomed up to challenge from over two furlongs out and when Opera Singer had dismissed her challenge, she had to dig even deeper to withhold the strong late thrust of See The Fire to win by a neck, with Prix de Diane winner Sparkling Plenty (Patrice Cottier/Christian Demuro) running on for third, a further three-parts of a length away.

Emily Upjohn was dropped in from her wide berth, but never really threatened, and made paltry late gains to finish a disappointing sixth.

The winner was stepping up to ten furlongs having been second to Porta Fortuna in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, and she may well have options over further still, with ambitions plans afoot at Ballydoyle.

O’Brien explained: “When Ryan got off her 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.

Barely ready

“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. 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 and she can have a run around the track and that kind of thing. I don’t think she needs to be tested at 12 furlongs before the Arc, necessarily.

“She could do it, but we always thought she’ll stay. She’d have to run before then, anyway.”

THE 9/1 chance Black Forza (Michael O’Callaghan/Dylan Browne McMonagle) surged late to win the Group 2 Richmond Stakes on Thursday, breaking the hearts of those who had piled into favourite The Strikin Viking (Hamad Al Jelani/James Doyle), who had won a battle with Tropical Storm only to be reeled in late by a faster finisher.

Intrusively (Ed Bethell/Hollie Doyle) also finished well from the rear to grab third, beaten half a length and three-parts of a length in a compelling finish.

The impression given by the way the race unfolded was that the early pace was very strong and those who sat off it were advantaged, but credit must go to the winner, who improved to beat a subsequent winner in a Fairyhouse maiden last time and has clearly stepped up again.

The Strikin Viking shaped well in second and wasn’t helped that Tropical Storm faded rather tamely a furlong out, with that leaving him in front and vulnerable as a result. He responded to repel a challenge or two before finding the winner too strong deep in the last furlong.

Winning trainer Michael O’Callaghan said: “It’s fantastic - to win the Richmond is very special. He’s a horse we bought at the breeze-ups and Goodwood has been lucky for us. I didn’t get to be here when Steel Bull won the Molecomb but the plan with this horse was to come here even before his maiden.

“He was flat out for the first half of the race, but he hit the line very strong. He just has a bit of class. It takes class to see out a race like that; we’d be hopeful that he’d see out seven furlongs in time, and he might get a mile around a turn. He’s an American-bred horse, we’ll see how he progresses.

“He’s a very, very good mover. You’re always taking a chance, buying a dirt horse to go on grass, especially a first-season sire. He’s proved he can go on turf, so it’s great it’s all worked out. He’s got a lot of options, but we’ll enjoy today first and then we’ll make a plan.”

JAN Brueghel (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) was very well backed to win the Group 2 Gordon Stakes, going off 4/5 after steady support all day, and he justified that support, albeit not without a fight.

A winner of his first two starts at the Curragh, the son of Galileo needed cajoling mid-race as Meydaan set the tempo, and that rival made his bid for glory at the top of the straight.

Jan Brueghel worked his way to the front around two furlongs out but no sooner had he taken the measure of Meydaan than Bellum Justum (Andrew Balding/) threw down a strong challenge, and it looked like he had the momentum to take him to the front, but with Moore conjuring more from his mount, Jan Bruegel rallied to win in tenacious style by a neck. Visually, this wasn’t a first-rate performance, but the winner was still showing obvious signs of greenness throughout the race, and he is clearly open to further progress, with this run a crucial part of his development, and Aidan O’Brien was keen to emphasis his ongoing progress.

“He stays very well obviously, but he’s very babyish,” said the winning trainer. “He did an extra lap in the parade ring and Ryan said he was very green going to the start. He said he was delighted when a horse went off in front, but he was very green when he was by himself.

“I’d say time and distance is going to improve him, he’s just a big baby and you can really see it now. We took him to the Curragh twice and I’m delighted we took him over here. You’d have to be very happy, and Ryan was very good on him.

Asked if he would now head straight to the St Leger, O’Brien replied: “I’d say you’d have to. It was a bit of a crash-course coming here, he had a lot to learn in a short time. It’s only his third run but I wouldn’t think there’d be time for a run in between.

“He’s a lot heavier today than his last run and that’s unusual, that usually means that he’s maturing a lot. It can mean that they’ve got unfit but he didn’t look lighter, he’s obviously maturing.”