Opéra Longines Report: Tarnawa, so light on heavy going

Sunday, October 4, 2020, ParisLongchamp. - Winner of the Qatar Prix Vermeille (Gr1) three weeks ago, the Irish filly Tarnawa (Shamardal) delivered the same devastating acceleration to win the Prix de l'Opéra Longines (Gr1), beating a fine selection of some of the best fillies and mares in Europe. Her rider Christophe Soumillon bid his time and Tarnawa had a long way to go in the homestretch. She came at the very end to dominate another Irish filly, Alpine Star (Sea the Moon), who had started very fast to take the lead before letting Tawkeel (Teofilo) overtake and lead the field.

Audarya (Wootton Bassett), third by the rail all the way, stayed on to secure her place on the podium.

Tarnawa is homebred by the Aga Khan and trained by Dermot Weld. She was racing for the third time only this season, having won for her comeback in August in a Group 3 over 1m4f. She had failed twice last year at Group 1 level before winning brilliantly at ParisLongchamp in the Qatar Prix Vermeille (Gr1) recently.

Tarnawa's dam is a winner over 2,500 meters at Listed level in Ireland, and very consistent in these sorts of trips.