France: Barnavara upsets Prix de l’Opera to highlight Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe undercard
Barnavara, a winner of three stakes in Ireland earlier this year, won her Group 1 debut in Sunday’s $587,000 Prix de l’Opera for fillies and mares at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris in an 8-1 upset.
The Prix de l’Opera was one of five Group 1 races on the undercard of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe program that offered the winners automatic berths to Breeders’ Cup races at Del Mar on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
There was uncertainty in the immediate aftermath of the Prix de l’Opera whether Barnavara would be sent to California for the BC Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 1.
Ridden by Shane Foley for trainer Jessica Harrington, Barnavara ($21.60) led throughout the Prix de l’Opera at 1 1/4 miles, holding off a persistent threat from 2-1 See The Fire, a shipper from Britain, to prevail in a close finish.
Barnavara won by the official distance of a short neck. One Look, a 13-1 chance trained in Ireland, finished third, a short head behind See The Fire. Wemightakedlongway finished fourth by a half-length as the 6-5 favorite after stalking the pace.
Barnavara, owned by the Alpha Racing partnership, is a 3-year-old filly by Calyx, who has won 5 of 13 starts. The Prix de l’Opera was by far her richest win, and was the second-richest Thoroughbred race on Sunday’s Longchamp program, behind the $5.86 million Arc de Triomphe.
There may be trips to California for the BC Filly and Mare Turf for See The Fire and One Look, their trainers told the press.
The BC Juvenile Turf at a mile on Oct. 31 is very much under consideration for Puerto Rico, the winner of the $469,600 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere for 2-year-old colts and fillies at seven furlongs.
Ridden by Christophe Soumillon, Puerto Rico ($9.80) led throughout and was not pressured in the final sixteenth, winning by 2 1/2 lengths over 5-1 Nighttime, a Group 3 winner at seven furlongs at Longchamp on Sept. 11.
Rayif finished third as the even-money favorite, his first loss in his third start.
Puerto Rico, a colt by the recently deceased stallion Wootton Bassett, is trained by Aidan O’Brien for the Coolmore syndicate. Puerto Rico has had a busy year for a juvenile, winning 2 of 7 starts. He won his sixth start in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes for colts and geldings at seven furlongs at Doncaster Racecourse in Britain on Sept. 13.
Puerto Rico has yet to race beyond seven furlongs.
O’Brien won the $469,600 Prix Marcel Boussac for 2-year-old fillies at a mile with the heavily favored Diamond Necklace in the day’s first race.
Diamond Necklace ($4.20) closed from the middle of a field of eight to win by a neck over 8-5 Green Spirit, a Kentucky-bred filly by Kingman who was previously unbeaten in four starts. Narissa (9-1) finished third by 2 1/4 lengths.
Diamond Necklace was ridden by Soumillon for O’Brien and the partnership of Coolmore and Georg von Opel. An Irish-bred filly by the Galileo stallion St. Mark’s Basicila, Diamond Necklace is unbeaten in three starts including the listed Ingabelle Stakes at seven furlongs at Leopardstown, Ireland, on Sept. 13.
O’Brien said Diamond Necklace is likely to be rested until 2026.
The winners of the two leading sprints on Sunday’s program have backgrounds in France, and in Australian racing, through Britain and Ireland.
Maranoa Charlie could return in the BC Mile on Nov. 1 after winning the $410,000 Prix de la Foret at seven furlongs, taking his first Group 1 in his third career appearance in such a race.
Maranoa Charlie ($10.80) was always near the front under jockey Aurelien Lemaitre, winning by 1 1/4 lengths over Zarigana, the 2-1 favorite in a field of 16. Ten Bob Tony, a British-based gelding, finished third at 19-1, beaten 2 3/4 lengths.
Maranoa Charlie, a 3-year-old colt by Wootten Bassett, races for trainer Christopher Head and owner Bond Thoroughbred Ltd.
Maranoa Charlie has won 6 of 10 starts. He was fourth in the Group 1 Criterium International for 2-year-olds at a mile at Saint-Cloud Racecourse in Paris last October, and third by three-quarters of a length in the Group 1 City of York Stakes at seven furlongs at York in August.
The Australian mare Asfoora won her second Group 1 race in her last three starts in the $410,000 Prix de l’Abbaye, a five-furlong dash through a course on Longchamp’s infield.
Asfoora, part of a field of 17, raced near the front and overcame a touch of traffic to win by a half-length. She returned $7.20 as the favorite. Jawwal (32-1) finished second after holding an early lead, finishing 2 1/2 lengths in front of 20-1 She’s Quality, who will be considered for the BC Turf Sprint on Nov. 1.
Asfoora, trained by Henry Dwyer and ridden by Oisin Murphy, won the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York Racecourse in Britain in August, but was seventh of 15 in the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes at five furlongs at the Curragh on Sept. 14.
A 7-year-old Australian-bred mare, Asfoora is believed to be the first Australian-trained runner to win in France.
Asfoora won the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes at five furlongs at Royal Ascot in 2024, the first of three starts in Europe that year. This year, Asfoora had five starts in Europe.
She was allowed to race on Sunday after her official papers arrived via an Uber driver from nearby Chantilly moments before a deadline. Dwyer had brought the wrong papers to Longchamp Racecourse earlier in the day, according to press reports.
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