Trained in England by Henry Cecil for Sheikh Mohammed, at age two Opening Verse made his racing debut with a win in the August 27, 1988 Park Lodge Maiden Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse.
As a three-year-old, Opening Verse went winless until September 7, 1989 when he won the Strensall Stakes at York Racecourse.
Sold to American, Allen Paulson, one of the preeminent owner/breeders of the 1980s and 1990s, as a four-year-old in 1990 Opening Verse raced in the United States under trainer Richard Lundy.
Sent off as a longshot at 26:1 odds, under jockey Pat Valenzuela, Opening Verse rallied from fifth place in the field of fourteen to take the lead in the homestretch and won the race by 1¼ lengths.
Retired to stud duty, Opening Verse's progeny met with modest success in racing, the best of which was Grade I winner and millionaire, Colstar.