Opera Ballo

The G1 City Of York Stakes could be the next port of call for leading older miler Notable Speech (Dubawi), with trainer Charlie Appleby revealing that an appearance at York's Ebor Festival is currently preferred to a return to Deauville for the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois. The son of Dubawi showed that he retains all of his ability at the age of five when winning May's G1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, before failing to meet expectations at Royal Ascot for the third consecutive year when last seen finishing sixth...

After Royal Ascot and Newmarket July, Goodwood grasps the baton on Tuesday as the British summer Festival scene heads south. Barring any unwelcome sea frets that can at times envelop these picturesque Sussex Downs, this week's action at the Qatar-sponsored jamboree should make for some spectacle. Headlining the opening day of what is traditionally termed "Glorious Goodwood" is the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup, now firmly established as a Group 1 and the natural sequel to the Ascot Gold Cup. Part of the old staying triple crown that includes the Doncaster...

Classic winners Bow Echo (Night Of Thunder) and Gstaad (Starspangledbanner) headline 12 confirmations for the £1.5-million Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on Wednesday, with the outstanding three-year-old milers on course to meet for a third time this season in Europe's richest mile race. The unbeaten Bow Echo has emerged victorious from both of their previous encounters, first when winning the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket and then when following up in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. The son of Night Of Thunder will be attempting to become...

A Siyouni half-brother to €1.7-million Arqana August graduate and dual French Classic winner Diamond Necklace (St Mark's Basilica) leads the 325-strong catalogue for the 2026 edition of the sale in Deauville. The sale will take place from Saturday, August 15 through Monday, August 17. Sessions for the first two days will begin at 5:30 p.m. local time, while Monday's session will start at 11 a.m. Set to sell as lot 128, the colt is out of stakes winner Prudenzia (Dansili) and is a half-brother to four stakes winners, with Irish...

Whatever the week ahead at Royal Ascot brings, there is one certainty and that is Aidan O'Brien stretching what's possible even further from the centre. Let's get this out of the way first; the current master of Ballydoyle will undeniably form his own one-man club at some point over the next five days with his 100th Royal winner. It is a club so exclusive that it will likely see no other member for decades, with the County Wexford-born nonpareil still a relative youth in the training ranks. Ironically, his shortest-priced...

Godolphin's Opera Ballo will not contest the G1 Prix Aga Khan IV versus the Aga Khan Studs' Daryz (Sea The Stars), and will instead be aimed at the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, according to trainer Charlie Appleby. "We were looking towards the Prix Aga Khan IV (Prix d'Ispahan) but we're now going to go straight to the Queen Anne," said Appleby of the G1 Jebel Hatta-winning son of Ghaiyyath, who landed the G2 Mile at Sandown in April. "There are a couple of reasons behind it, firstly...

A high-class edition of the Boyle Sports Lockinge Stakes is in prospect at Newbury on Saturday, with Damysus (Frankel), Opera Ballo (Ghaiyyath) and Zeus Olympios (Night Of Thunder) headlining a 13-strong list of contenders for the Group 1 showpiece. Damysus kicked off his four-year-old campaign with an impressive victory in last month's G3 Earl Of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket, while Opera Ballo had Zeus Olympios back in third when winning the G2 bet365 Mile at Sandown. Trainer Karl Burke expects Zeus Olympios to strip fitter with that outing under his...

Friday, Sandown, Britain, post time: 15:00, BET 365 MILE-G2, £165,000, 4yo/up, 8f 0y Field: Cicero's Gift (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), Opera Ballo (Ire) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}), Zeus Olympios (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Dancing Gemini (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Field Of Gold (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), Never So Brave (Ire) (No Nay Never). TDN Analysis: Effectively a Group 1 contest in all but name, this renewal for the ages witnesses the return of last year's G1 Irish 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace hero Field Of Gold, who faces off against a select band....

Charlie Appleby's Opera Ballo (Ghaiyyath) will skip an intended start in the G1 Dubai Turf at the end of March and instead will be pointed to a summer campaign. The Racing Post first reported the news. The winner of the G1 Jebel Hatta earlier this year, the son of Ghaiyyath was set to face fellow Godolphin runner and Group 1 winner Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) in the contest. Appleby told the publication, "Opera Ballo is in good shape but I don't think a full field of 14 runners going around...

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...

Fashion Friday at Meydan features a nine-race card, eight of them for Thoroughbreds, and the crowning jewel is the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge, which grants the victor an entry in the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup on March 28. The 2026 edition features the past two winners in Walk Of Stars (Dubawi) and Kabirkhan (California Chrome), who are both trained by Bhupat Seemar. "Walk Of Stars had a lot of weight to give away first time out, against horses who were race fit," Seemar said of the gelding's fourth in...

Friday, Meydan, UAE, post time: 9.00pm, AL MAKTOUM MILE SPONSORED BY EMAAR-G2, AED1,000,000, 3yo/up, 1600m Field: Imperial Emperor (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Meshtri (Medaglia d'Oro), Tumbarumba (Oscar Performance), King Gold (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}), Mendelssohn Bay (Mendelssohn), Commissioner King (Commissioner), Morning (Munnings), Castlewarden (Into Mischief), Killer Collect (Collected), Masmak (Vino Rosso), West Saratoga (Exaggerator), Musical Dancer (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), David Of Athens (Nyquist). TDN Analysis: Bhupat Seemar saddles no fewer than eight of the 13 runners, headed by March's G2 Al Maktoum Classic winner Imperial Emperor and recent Dubai Creek Mile scorer...