2020 European Horse of the Year Ghaiyyath (IRE) got his first Group I winner in Australia last spring in Victoria Derby hero Observer and had his second overnight when Opera Ballo took the G1 Jebel Hatta (1m1f), while the other G1 on the card at Meydan also had a winner of serious interest for a different reason.
Trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, four year-old Opera Ballo won the Group II Al Rashidiya Sponsored by Emar at his first run in Meydan in December and kept up the good work last night.
Opera Ballo powered to the line to win by two and a half lengths.
Purchased as a yearling at the Arqana Deauville August Sale by Godolphin for €600,000, Opera Ballo has the overall record of six wins from eight starts.
Opera Ballo is a three-quarter brother to stakes-placed Dyptique being the second winner from well bred Invincible Spirit mare Dubai Opera, a sibling to Group winners Lockwood and Earnshaw from Group III winner Emily Bronte.
Opera Ballo is the second G1 winner among nine stakes-winners worldwide for Ghaiyyath, who shuttled to Darley Victoria for four seasons, but did not come to Australia last spring.
The champion so of Dubawi has yearlings to be offered in Australia in 2026 with Inglis Premier featuring 17 of his stock.
The other feature race on the card was the Group I Al Maktoum Challenge Presented by Longines (1m1 ½ f) on dirt and was won by six year-old Dubawi gelding Imperial Emperor, who is a three-quarter brother-in-blood to Ghaiyyath.
Bred by Godolphin, but sold as a tried horse in 2024, Imperial Emperor is trained by Bhupat Seemar and runs for Deva Racing.
Unplaced in the Dubai World Cup last year, he returned to win at Meydan last month and scored his first G1 win when taking this feature by a length and a quarter with Richard Mullen in the saddle.
Imperial Emperor is the 64th G1 winner for Darley’s legendary sire Dubawi and is a sibling to two other stakes-placed horses being the best of four winners from Group I winning Fastnet Rock mare Zhukova, a half-sister to Ghaiyyath from Group I winning Galileo mare Nightime.
Take a good look at the tabulation for this pedigree as it is very similar to what Yulong have planned for their champion mare Fastnet Rock mare Via Sistina, who has just been retired to stud.
She is also by Fastnet Rock from a daughter of Galileo out of a daughter of Indian Ridge, exactly the same as Zhukova, and is headed to the UK for a mating with Dubawi, whose fee is set at £350,000.
