PRIX DE L'OPÉRA LONGINES - Miss Scott’s finest hour

QATAR PRIX DE L’ARC DE TRIOMPHE WEEKEND

PRIX DE L'OPÉRA LONGINES

Miss Scott’s finest hour

The Prix de l’Opéra Longines, often described as “the Arc de Triomphe for fillies and mares”, was won by the British-trained Miss Scott. The victory completed a Group 1 double for The Thoroughbred Racing Corporation on Sunday at ParisLongchamp, just a few hours after Green Empress had won the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac.

Miss Scott won with authority, defeating the Irish-trained Precise by a length and a half. The French-trained Pink Panthera, trained at the Calas-Cabriès training centre (13), completed the podium a further length and a half behind.

Aged 3, Miss Scott recorded her second consecutive Group-race victory and claimed the first Group 1 of her career. She is trained by John and Thady Gosden.

Her jockey, Christophe Soumillon, won the race for the fifth time, following Terre à Terre (2001), Mandesha(2006), Dalkala (2013) and Tarnawa (2020). Already the record-holder for the most victories in the race, he therefore extended his own record.

This latest success also marks an important step in the revival of The Thoroughbred Racing Corporation. Relaunched in 2022 by the family of the late Prince Ahmed bin Salman, the iconic operation of the 1990s and 2000s leaves ParisLongchamp having won two Group 1 races on the same day.

The official result

PRIX DE L'OPÉRA LONGINES

1st MISS SCOTT (C. Soumillon)

2nd PRECISE (R.-L. Moore)

3rd PINK PANTHERA (P.-C. Boudot)

Time: 2’2’’41. Margins: 1 1/2 – 1 1/2 – SHORT HEAD

Quotes from connections

Thady Gosden, co-trainer of Miss Scott (1st), England

“It’s fantastic. Miss Scott is a filly we have always thought very highly of. She has been brought along quite gradually. This is the first time she has really stepped into the big league. She won the Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes on her last start, with Christophe [Soumillon] in the saddle. He had come over to ride her. And the plan was to come here and take our chance. She is a filly we thought we might step up to 2,400 metres next year. We have looked after her a little this season.

We will see how she comes out of this race. We could leave her alone until next year. She is still only a 3-year-old filly. We are quite late in the season. And, potentially, the only target left for her would be the Breeders’ Cup. That might be a little too much and a little too soon, but we will see how she is. And, of course, we will discuss it with her owners.

What a pleasure it is to see two Group 1 winners on the same day for this owner.”

Aidan O’Brien, trainer of Precise (2nd), Ireland

“Precise ran very well. She could go for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (Group 1), depending on how she recovers.”

Nicolas de Watrigant, representative of Alain Jathière, co-owner of Pink Panthera (3rd)

“Pink Panthera has run another very good race. Even so, she is still a filly who really appreciates good ground. She had less traction, which is what her jockey told us. So she did not have the same acceleration she can produce on quicker ground. She has had a long season and has once again confirmed her consistency at Group 1 level. It is not easy to come from last place. The race was decided a little towards the front.”