breednet.com.au

The Opera House's Grandson wins in Japan

Mark Smith - Sunday May 26

A snow-white grandson of the cult mare The Opera House,  Aoraki (JPN) chalked up his second win in 22 starts at Kasamatsu on Friday.

Advertisement

In a lesson of perseverance, the 4-year-old son of Gold Ship (JPN) took 19 starts to break his maiden and has now won two of his past four on the dirt.

Aoraki’s dam Casta Diva (High Chaparral) was a $450,000 purchase for Dearest Club, Japan, at the 2016 NZB Premier Yearling Sale at Karaka.

Casta Diva won a 2600m maiden at Hakodate and placed twice in eleven starts.

She is the third foal and the first of three consecutive white foals for Might And Power’s three-quarter sister The Opera House (Zabeel).

Costa Diva $450,000 Karaka yearling

Aoraki is her first foal, and the second Pounamu (Satono Diamond) is bay. Casta Diva struck gold again with her latest foal, a white daughter of Deep Impact’s 3-time Group 1 winning son Fierement (JPN).

The Opera House’s first two foals were a bay and chestnut, born in Australia. The next three born in New Zealand were all white. The Shamexpress colt Grand Bernini and the Charm spirit filly Utzon followed Casta Diva. The following four foals were all bays.  

Utzon shares a paddock with many other celebrities at Yulong. She has a white yearling filly and a white weanling filly by Alabama Express.  

Advertisment
More Reading...
Remembering Sunline – The Queen of the Cox Plate Before Winx
From our vantage point in 2026, we can look back at modern Cox Plate history and marvel at how quickly the years are passing.
Remembering Northerly – The Greatest Caulfield Cup Winner This Century
It's Caulfield Cup week, and what better moment to revisit the life and times of one of the greatest - if not the greatest - Caulfield Cup winner of the modern era.
2027 Golden Slipper Entries – Sortable Sale Mail – Find Out More
The new season is nearly upon us and that means all over the country a new crop of rising two year-olds are taking baby steps in the best stables in the land with the Australian Turf Club announcing this week they had received 1881 entries for the 2027 Golden Slipper, so who is in the race?
Unraced First Season Sires Trial Report
It’s been a pretty steady start to spring in terms of 2YO races and we are still waiting to see a first season sire post a winner, but there has been action aplenty at the trials which would indicate the pre-Christmas period is set to ignite.
One to Watch – Mornington
A homebred for Seymour Bloodstock with an intriguing pedigree opened her account with a stylish win at Mornington on Tuesday.
Southern Highlands Thoroughbred Week is Out of the Gate!
Celebrating 140 years of racing and thoroughbred culture, Southern Highlands Thoroughbred Week presented by GROW Southern Highlands will span three weekends, from 19th November to 6th December.
Haras d'Etreham Set Fee for Hotazhell
Triple Group I winner Hotazhell will begin his stallion career at Haras d'Etreham in France at a fee of €15,000 next year before then shuttling to Widden Stud in Australia.
Frankel Heads Juddmonte Euro Roster at £350,000
Fresh from siring outstanding young stayer Point of Law (GB) to win the $10m Group I VRC Melbourne Cup, champion sire Frankel will again top the roster at Banstead Manor Stud for Juddmonte.
Racing Industry Mourns Much Loved Izzy Neale
The thoroughbred racing industry is devastated tonight following news that apprentice jockey Izzy Neale, aged 22, has tragically died as the result of a race fall at Warren on Sunday.
G1 Aussie Pedigree Watch –Newly Minted
Pedigree does matter if you want to be winning races longer than 1200m, although in an interesting twist a colt bred on face value for speed is in fact from the family of Zabeel.