9 October 2024
Photo scoopdyga.com
October, ParisLongchamp
PRIX DE L'OPÉRA LONGINES
Group 1, fillies and mares three years old and up, 2,000m/10f, €500,000
Created in 1974
2023 Winner: FRIENDLY SOUL (f3, GB by Kingman ex In Clover by Inchinor), owned by George Strawbridge, bred by George Strawbridge, trained by John & Thady Gosden, ridden by Kieran Shoemark.
Race Record: 2'00"90 by Mandesha in 2006
2025 marks the 52nd running of the race.
The 2024 Edition
Sunday, October 6, 2024, ParisLongchamp Racecourse (Paris). – The 2024 edition of the Prix de l'Opéra Longines (Gr1), the championship race for fillies and mares over 2,000 meters, provided a thrilling finish at ParisLongchamp on Sunday. One of the pacesetters, Friendly Soul (Kingman), repelled all challengers with great courage.
The representative of George Strawbridge, who also bred her, and winner this summer of the Sumbe Prix Alec Head – Prix de la Nonette (Gr2) at Deauville, initially raced alongside Almara (Almanzor), who had forced the pace to take the lead and the rail early on from her outside post position. She had galloped in front of Friendly Soul, on her outside, ahead of Fallen Angel (Too Darn Hot) and Running Lion (Roaring Lion).
Almara faded quickly in the final straightaway, unlike Friendly Soul and Running Lion, both trained by John and Thady Gosden, who battled it out all the way down the long stretch to take the first two places, less than a length apart, in front of Sparkling Plenty (Kingman), who ran remarkably considering she was held far back, and Fallen Angel, who failed to accelerate after a favourable trip on a track softened by rain.
Friendly Soul is out of the prolific In Clover (Inchinor), a winner of the Prix de Flore (Gr3), as well as the Prix de Lieurey (L) and the Prix de Liancourt, like the dam of the "Morny" winner Whistlejacket, trained by Freddy Head. She then enjoyed extraordinary success at stud. She has produced three Group 1 winners, namely We Are (Dansili), Call the Wind (Frankel), and With You (Dansili), winners respectively of the Prix de l'Opéra (Gr1), the Prix du Cadran (Gr1), and the Prix Rothschild (Gr1). Seven stakes winners to date!
History
At its creation, the Prix de l'Opéra had Group 2 status and was run over 1,850 meters. In 2000, it was elevated to Group 1 status and its distance was increased to 2,000 meters. The record number of runners, 18, was recorded in 1981 and 1983. The minimum, 6, was recorded in 1998 and 2006.
From the very first running of the Prix de l'Opéra, some stars were in attendance, such as Dumka (Poule d'Essai), Gaily (second in the Irish Oaks), and Hippodamia (Critérium des Pouliches). But they had to give way to a revelation, Cheryl, carrying Japanese silks.
Due to the intermediate distance of the Prix de l'Opéra, the winners of the Prix de Diane and Vermeille do not risk running in it, preferring the adventure of the Arc de Triomphe. However, the heroine of the 2002 Prix de Diane, Bright Sky, ran successfully four months later in the Prix de l'Opéra, an example followed in 2006 by the winner of the Prix Vermeille, Mandesha, who also confirmed the victory she had achieved three weeks earlier. And some Prix de Diane placegetters find the consecration of their quality in the Opéra, such as second-place finishers like Cistus (1978) and Secret Form (1986), or third-place finishers like Producer (1979), Verveine (1993), and Insight (1998).
Some Prix de l'Opéra winners have subsequently distinguished themselves at the highest level abroad. For example, the 1977 winner Waya (Turf Classic, Man O'War Stakes), the 1983 winner Royal Heroine (Breeders' Cup Mile), the 2001 winner Terre à Terre (Dubai Duty Free), and the 2004 winner Alexander Goldrun (Hong Kong Cup, Pretty Polly Stakes).
And the Prix de l'Opéra fully plays its role as a selection race. Among the fillies who have placed in it, we find the names of Albertine (3rd in 1984), future dam of Arcangues (1993 Breeders' Cup Classic), and Blue Tip (3rd in 1985 and 1986), who became the grand-dam of Grandera (2002 Irish Champion Stakes); and Grey Lilas (2nd in 2004), who became the dam of Golden Lilac (2011 Poule d'Essai and Prix de Diane Longines).
The perseverance of Satwa Queen, who lined up three times: fifth at age 3, second at age 4, and first at age 5 in 2007, is noteworthy and rewarded.
The race was run at Chantilly in 2016 and 2017 during the construction work at Longchamp, which it returned to in 2018.
Leading Owners
- Aga Khan IV (5 wins): Timarida (1995), Shalanaya (2009), Ridasiyna (2012), Dalkala (2013), Tarnawa (2020).
- Jacques Wertheimer (3 wins): Mona Stella (1987) and Athyka (1988, 1989).
- Wildenstein Family (3 wins): two for Daniel Wildenstein, Waya (1977), Verveine (1993), and one for Ecurie Wildenstein, Bright Sky (2002).
- Robert Sangster (2 wins): Hortensia (1980) and Royal Heroine (1983).
Leading Trainers
- Christiane Head (5 wins): Reine Mathilde (1984), Mona Stella (1987), Athyka (1988, 1989), and Hatoof (1992).
- Michael Stoute (4 wins): Royal Heroine (1983), Bella Colora (1985), Petrushka (2000), and Zee Zee Top (2003).
- André Fabre (3 wins): Colour Chart (1990), Clodora (1997), Place du Carrousel (2022).
- Alain de Royer-Dupré (2 wins): Mandesha (2006) and Dalkala (2013).
- Mikel Delzangles (2 wins): Shalanaya (2009) and Ridasiyna (2012).
Leading Jockeys
- Christophe Soumillon (4 wins): Terre à Terre (2001), Mandesha (2006), Dalkala (2013), Tarnawa (2020).
- Yves Saint-Martin (3 wins): Sea Sands (1975), Waya (1977), and Kilmona (1981).
- Walter Swinburn (3 wins): Royal Heroine (1983), Bella Colora (1985), and Hatoof (1992).
- Cash Asmussen (3 wins): Secret Form (1986), Colour Chart (1990), and Insight (1998).