Timing Just Right for Villa Marina in Prix de l'Opera

While those close to her expressed plenty of confidence ahead of time, nearly everyone else overlooked Villa Marina as a contender for the Oct. 6 Prix de l'Opera Longines (G1).

But with an old master in Olivier Peslier rationing his mount to deliver her effort at just the right moment, the 3-year-old burst to the front and gamely held off the late lunge of Fleeting, with Watch Me back in third. Villa Marina earned a berth into the Nov. 2 Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) as part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

Villa Marina looked like a threat in the Qatar Prix Vermeille (G1) over two furlongs farther three weeks ago before her stamina ebbed out, leaving Carlos Laffon-Parias in no doubt as where to head next with the daughter of Le Havre.

"In the Vermeille, she showed she was at the level to win a group 1," Laffon-Parias said. "Over a mile and a half, she just flattened out in the final 200 meters, but she showed that over a shorter trip she is a high-class filly."

Laffon-Parias won the Arc in tandem with Peslier and Solemia in 2012, and the pair have stuck close together almost from the start of the Spaniard's time in Chantilly.

"What can I say about Olivier? If he ever retires, I'll stop with him," Laffon-Parias said. 

Despite the testing conditions at ParisLongchamp, Peslier believes Villa Marina could have all the attributes to head for Santa Anita Park at the beginning of November. 

"She does everything naturally very fast, and while we’ll leave her quiet for a few days before deciding, I think she could be really suited for the Breeders' Cup (Filly and Mare Turf)," Peslier added.

Fleeting was beaten only a short neck in second, and her rider, Wayne Lordan, picked up a 12-day ban for his eight strokes with the whip.

There was also a tragic postscript to the race for her Aidan O'Brien-trained stablemate Goddess, who fractured a leg in the straight and had to be put down.