Justify Filly Earns Second G1 Win in Nassau

Justify’s European Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Opera Singer (Justify x Liscanna, by Sadler’s Wells) was back in the winner’s enclosure on Thursday with a victory in the Group I Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.

Racing over 1 ¼ miles, the filly broke strongly and immediately took control of the race with a keen runner right behind her and another horse on her hip. Opera Singer didn’t let that pressure bother her, easily galloping in relaxed style around the turn. Jockey Ryan Moore didn’t truly start asking her to run until the final quarter when he started hand urging her home.

She didn’t feel the whip until just outside the final furlong and was given a vigorous ride from there to hold off See The Fire by a neck.

It was the third group win for the Aidan O’Brien trainee who races for Westerberg and the Coolmore partners. The filly bred by Evie Stockwell has finished off the board in only one of eight starts and has four Group I placings – including two victories – in four Group I starts.

The Prix De l'Arc de Triomphe could be a Fall target for the filly, as could the Breeders’ Cup.

“We always felt she was crying out for a step up in trip and she's a very good filly who could step up further,” O'Brien said. “If she is going to the Arc, she might go for the [G1] Prix Vermeille before but if the ground was bad at Longchamp she could go to the Breeders' Cup instead. Last year, we thought her and [Justify’s] City Of Troy were the best 2-year-old filly and colt we'd ever had.”

Opera Singer is one of three Group I winners out of the Group III winner Liscanna alongside Europe’s 2016 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Brave Anna and Grade I winner Hit It A Bomb. The mare also produced the Grade III placed Border Town and multiple stakes placed and Grade I fourth Threeandfourpence.

Each of the filly’s first three dams have produced at least two stakes winners with most also producing multiple stakes placed runners.

Liscanna produced a colt by Justify in 2024.

The first stakes winner of the month for Justify is also his fifth since July 6 with one of those coming on Monday in the U.S.