Lightning Strikes Twice at Windsor Park Stud

Tara Madgwick - Thursday September 25

In 2006, there was surprise and delight to find chestnut mare Carmina Burana had delivered a pure white filly foal by Zabeel and eight years on that filly foal – The Opera House – has produced a white filly foal of her own.

Born at 2am this morning in New Zealand at Windsor Park Stud, this amazing filly by High Chaparral (IRE) is the third foal of The Opera House, whose previous two foals are bay (a filly by Big Brown (USA) and chestnut (a colt by Pluck (USA).

A three-quarter sister-in-blood to Melbourne Cup hero and Australian Horse of the Year Might and Power, The Opera House has had a fascinating life to date.

The Opera House is born

Sent to Australia as a yearling she was the centre of attention at the Magic Millions in 2008 where she was prepped for sale by Amarina Farm and made $270,000 to the bid of Kris Lees.

She raced for a syndicate headed by John Singleton's Strawberry Hill Stud and won one race from nine starts, saluting at Wyong over 2100 metres before suffering a tendon injury.

Ready to go racing

The Opera House salutes at Wyong - Steve Hart

After producing one foal for Strawberry Hill Stud she was sent to the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale last year where she was bought for Windsor Park by Michael Wallace Bloodstock for $30,000 and has since returned to Windsor Park.

As her mother was before her, this foal is going to be a superstar no matter whether she can run or not!

"I followed The Opera House when she was born because she was pretty special and such a novelty," said Rodney Schick of Windsor Park .

"It's a family that we started off with Benediction and we had been trying to buy back in to the family for a while so when she came up at the Gold Coast sale Michael Wallace purchased her for us."

The Opera House's second foal, the now yearling colt by Pluck, will be offered at the 2015 New Zealand Bloodstock National Select Yearling Sale while this latest addition is also expected to be sold.

The Opera House will be mated with Windsor Park Stud's first season sire Shamexpress this year.

Must get that beauty sleep!

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