Ghaiyyath’s three-year-old son Opera Ballo continued to follow in the footsteps of last year’s 2,000 Guineas winner Notable Speech (Dubawi) on Wednesday, 26 February with a very impressive victory in the one-mile conditions race at Kempton.
Having stormed to an eight-and-a-half-length victory on his debut late last month, Charlie Appleby’s charge returned over the same course and distance in equally dominant style.
Settled behind stablemate Olympus Point early on, Opera Ballo was ridden along under William Buick with two furlongs left to run and soon cruised clear of his rivals, winning very easily by four lengths and setting some blistering fractions in the home run.
🔵 Opera Ballo - all class in the "European Road To The @KentuckyDerby" Conditions Stakes for team @godolphin
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) February 26, 2025
🏇 Two runs
🥇 Two wins
🚀 Smart prospect pic.twitter.com/cQi0kw86xX
Opera Ballo 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 in Mandanaba, Alobayyah, Al Uqda, Rhapsody and Gethin. This year he is also sire of unbeaten Saudi 1,000 Guineas winner Ameerat Alzamaan, who took the valuable Fillies Mile in Saudi at the weekend.
