Opera Ballo marches on with dominant G1 Jebel Hatta victory

Opera Ballo secured his first G1 win and sent out a strong message to any potential Dubai Turf rivals with an impressive display in the Jebel Hatta at Meydan on Friday, 23 January.

The Ghaiyyath colt brought a lofty reputation into his initial G1 appearance, having won four of his six starts in the UK before easily beating Nations Pride on his UAE debut in December’s G2 Al Rashidiya.

Nations Pride re-opposed and the four-time G1 winner was briefly inconvenienced by Mickael Barzalona losing an iron leaving the stalls before taking up the running after a furlong.

Opera Ballo raced exuberantly in a clear third of the six runners, with Midak taking closer order to relegate the Charlie Appleby-trained runner to fourth half a mile out.

Nations Pride continued to dictate and rallied when Silawi pressed for the lead with two furlongs to race, while William Buick travelled ominously behind the leading duo on Opera Ballo.

Having swept into the lead entering the final furlong, Opera Ballo readily opened up daylight over the field, going on to score by an easy two and a half lengths. Holloway Boy edged out Nations Pride for third near the line, a length and a quarter behind runner-up Silawi.

Charlie Appleby said: “We have felt we have a good horse on our hands for some time now and I would like to thank the team because they have done a great job getting Opera Ballo to relax.

“The fractions were honest but, as William has always said, they just cannot go fast enough for him. Even halfway around there, he was latching on. William says that, as soon as they start to weaken in front, he gets momentum and you have to hold onto him for as long as you can.

“Opera Ballo is an exciting horse going forward. He does not take a lot of training, although in the mornings he is a different character. You would have a job to light him up, whereas at the races he gets his game head on.

“I am delighted for him to get a G1. We saw his sire Ghaiyyath put up some big performances around here, and for him to be a son of Ghaiyyath is very special.”

William Buick said: “Opera Ballo reminds me so much of his father Ghaiyyath; he is so competitive and has all the talent in the world to go with it. Charlie and the team have done a great job with him, taking baby steps. He won the Al Rashidiya so well and this was the natural step up. You had horses like Nations Pride, Holloway Boy and Silawi – they set a decent standard.

“I am delighted with the way he won, even though he still has a bit to learn. He wanted to put himself in the race half a mile out, but I had to disappoint him and get him to do it the right way around. He used a good bit of energy but to see him finish off the race the way he did was very pleasing. Only good horses can do that. Once he learns to relax and race in a proper manner, he will be a proper horse.”