Debut winners at the double for Ghaiyyath

Padre and Opera Ballo post wide-margin victories first time out

Ghaiyyath unleashed what look to be two potential stars on Wednesday, 29 January when his first-crop sons The Padre and Opera Ballo easily won on their debuts at Dundalk and Kempton respectively.

The Padre was running over 10.5 furlongs at Dundalk and strode clear inside the final furlong to win by two-and-three-quarter lengths over Adrienne, with Waterford Flow (also by Ghaiyyath) back in third.

Owned and bred by John Halley, he is out of the Lomitas mare Shalanaya, the winner of the G1 Prix de l’Opera in 2009. Bought by current connections for €55,000 in 2019, Shalanaya has now produced seven winners and also has a yearling colt by Ghaiyyath.

Later on Wednesday, Godolphin colt Opera Ballo simply hacked up in the one-mile maiden at Kempton - the very same race won by last year's 2,000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes hero Notable Speech (who is of course by Ghaiyyath's own sire Dubawi).

Always prominent under Billy Loughnane, Opera Ballo's response once asked to quicken could not have been more impressive as he cruised clear of his rivals and eventually won by eight and a half lengths.

He was bred by Ecurie de Cachene and becomes the second winner from two foals to race out of Dubai Opera, a full sister to G3 winner Lockwood and a half-sister to G1 performer Earnshaw. 

Ghaiyyath, standing this season at €20,000, has sired a number of very promising winners from his first crop. His son Stanhope Gardens was a narrow second in the G3 Autumn Stakes, plus he has five further unbeaten runners; Mandanaba, Alobayyah, Al Uqda, Rhapsody and Gethin. Just this past weekend he sired his first Classic winner when his daughter Ameerat Alzamaan landed the Saudi 1,000 Guineas.