JUST weeks after the death of his mentor Michael Jarvis Nahrain provided Roger Variwith a Group One winner in his first season with a licence after just prevailing in a thrilling Qatar Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp yesterday.

Jarvis, who died aged 73 recently, won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Carroll House in 1989. And at the same Paris venue Varian’s Selkirk filly also triumphed.

Nahrain had won her first three racecourse starts including at Haydock earlier this year and was making her first racecourse appearance since winning at Sandown in June.

But after finally getting the breaks under Frankie Dettori she flew home to just get the better of favourite Announce by the shortest of margins.

Varian, who took over from Jarvis at the start of the season, said: “I wasn’t sure whether we had won or not crossing the line. She’s always looked very good at home, but it was a bit of a risk coming here after she’d only won a Listed race. She’d had a little bit of a setback, but in the last few days everything really clicked.

“She had a hard race today and I think that will have taken a bit out of her so we’ll take her home, see how she is and talk to connections.”

He added: “We lost a great man in Michael last week.”

Dettori, who was wrapping up a big-race double and riding his 501st Group-race winner, said: “This one is for Michael Jarvis, he was a big supporter of mine.”