By Heather Anderson
Godolphin's Opera Ballo (Ghaiyyath) earned his first Group 1 badge in the Jebel Hatta at Meydan on Friday. The consistent colt gave William Buick his third win on the night.
Four-time Group 1 winner Nations Pride (Teofilo) cut out fractions while shadowed by Wathnan Racing's Silawi (Dubawi) for much of this contest. The well-regarded eventual winner stayed in midpack from the jump, but was keen to do more behind his first three rivals. On the bend, Godolphin second-stringer Nations Pride lengthened his advantage, but came back to the field entering the home stretch. William Buick shifted Opera Ballo off the fence at the quarter-pole and the response was immediate. Handed daylight, the colt stuck his nose in front and soon kicked clear to win by 2 1/2 lengths. Silawi hung on for second, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Holloway Boy, who nipped Nations Pride for third.
“We felt that we had a good horse for some time, so well done to the team here for getting him relaxed,” said Appleby, winning this race for a fifth time. “He's still headstrong and William always says they can't go fast enough for him. You need to hold onto him for as long as you can. “He's an exciting horse going forward, and now we have the Dubai Turf invitation.”
A winner of his first two starts by a combined 12 1/2 lengths at Kempton last winter, the 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard found the G3 Craven Stakes too much too soon in April. After two more wins at listed level in England, he was second to Zeus Olympios (Night Of Thunder) in the G2 Joel Stakes, and handled yielding ground in the G2 Al Rashidiya over this course and distance on Festive Friday in December.
Pedigree Notes
Winning for the sixth time in eight starts, Opera Ballo is the first Northern Hemisphere Group 1 winner for Ghaiyyath. The Dubawi stallion already is the sire of G1 Victoria Derby hero Observer. Of his nine stakes winners, Ghaiyyath has five group winners.
The second foal and black-type horse out of Dubai Opera (Invincible Spirit), Opera Ballo was preceeded by Listed Prix Maurice Zilber third Dyptique (Night Of Thunder). She currently has the placed three-year-old colt Damn Precious (Sottsass) still racing, a two-year-old filly by Baaeed and a yearling colt by Paddington. This family features G3 Prix des Reservoirs heroine Emily Bronte (Machiavellian) as the second dam. That mare also foaled group winners Earnshaw (Medaglia d'Oro)–also second in the G1 Criterium International–and Lockwood (Invincible Spirit).
Friday, Meydan, Dubai
JEBEL HATTA PRESENTED BY LONGINES-G1, AED1,850,000, Meydan, 1-23, 3yo/up, 9fT, 1:47.64, gd.
1–OPERA BALLO (IRE), 126, c, 4, by Ghaiyyath (Ire)
1st Dam: Dubai Opera (GB), by Invincible Spirit (Ire)
2nd Dam: Emily Bronte (GB), by Machiavellian
3rd Dam: Zafadola (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
TDN Rising Star. *1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€600,000 Ylg '23
ARAUG). O-Godolphin; B-Ecurie de Cachene; T-Charlie
Appleby; J-William Buick. AED1,110,000. Lifetime Record:
8-6-1-0, AED2,202,356. *1/2 to Dyptique (Ire) (Night Of
Thunder {Ire}), SP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Silawi (Ire), 126, g, 6, Dubawi (Ire)–Silasol (Ire), by Monsun
(Ger). (€380,000 HRA '23 ARQARC). O-Wathnan Racing; B-
Wertheimer et Frere; T-Hamad Al Jehani. AED370,000.
—Holloway Boy (GB), 126, g, 6, Ulysses (Ire)–Sultry (GB), by
Pivotal (GB). (60,000gns Wlg '20 TATFOA; 60,000gns Ylg '21
TATOCT). O-N White, S White, T White & E Burke; B-Cheveley
Park Stud Limited; T-Karl Burke. AED185,000.
Margins: 2HF, 1 1/4, SHD.
Also Ran: Nations Pride (Ire), Vafortino (Ire), Midak (Fr). Click for the ERA chart & video.
NO DANGER 🟦🟦
Opera Ballo makes no mistake in the Jebel Hatta.
Next stop ➡️ Dubai Turf 💪@godolphin | @WilliamBuickX pic.twitter.com/UrKk2Wr85o
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) January 23, 2026
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