Opera House (February 24, 1988 – April 20, 2016) was a British

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

and

sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" a ...

. In a racing career which lasted from October 1990 until November 1993 he ran eighteen times and won eight races. Opera House was best known for his performances as a five-year-old in 1993, when he won three

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

races, including the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot o ...

and was named European Champion Older Horse. Retired to stud in Japan, he developed into a top-class sire in the country, supplying seven-time Grade 1 hero T M Opera O, four-time Group 1 winner Meisho Samson and multiple Group scorer Miyabi Ranveli.

Background

Opera House, a bay horse with a white

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

, was bred by the Meon Valley Stud in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

. He was sired by

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-sea ...

, out of

Colorspin Colorspin (16 March 1983 – 14 August 2012) was a French-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She showed great promise as a two-year-old in 1985 when she won both of her races in convincing fashion. In the following y ...

, a daughter of High Top. Sadler's Wells (1981–2011) won three

races in 1984 and went on to sire the winners of over 2,000 races including more than 130 at

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

level. He was the most successful sire in the history of British racing being the leading

Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland The title of champion, or leading, sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland is awarded to the stallion whose offspring have won the most prize money in Britain and Ireland during the flat racing season. The current champion is Frankel, who r ...

a record fourteen times. Colorspin won the Irish Oaks and was a half-sister of the

Prix de l'Opéra The Prix de l'Opéra is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and i ...

winner Bella Colora and the

Irish Champion Stakes The Irish Champion Stakes (Irish: Curadh-Dhuais na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 ...

winner Cezanne. Apart from Opera House, she also produced his full brother, the champion stayer

Kayf Tara Kayf Tara (18 March 1994 – 8 December 2022) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire (horse), sire. Background Kayf Tara was bred in England by the Meon Valley Stud. His dam Colorspin won the Irish Oaks and had previously produced the mu ...

and the Prix de l'Opéra winner Zee Zee Top. Opera House raced in the colours of

Sheikh Mohammed Sheikh Muhammad (1560–1650) was a Muslim saint-poet who is venerated by Hindus. Sheikh Muhammad or alternatively Sheikh Muhammed, Sheikh Mohammad, Sheikh Mohammed may also refer to (in chronological birth order): * Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wah ...

and was trained throughout his career by

Michael Stoute Sir Michael Ronald Stoute (born 22 October 1945) is a Barbadian British Thoroughbred horse trainer in flat racing. Career Stoute, whose father was the Chief of Police for Barbados, left the island in 1964 at the age of 19 to become an assis ...

Newmarket, Suffolk Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. Located (14 miles) west of Bury St Edmunds and (14 miles) northeast of Cambridge. It is considered the birthplace and global centre of thoroughbred hor ...

. His most regular jockeys were

Steve Cauthen Steve Cauthen (born May 1, 1960) is a retired American jockey. In 1977 he became the first jockey to win over $6 million in a year working with agent Lenny Goodman, and in 1978 he became the youngest jockey to win the U. S. ...

and Michael Roberts.

Racing career

1990: two-year-old season

Opera House did not appear on a racecourse until the Autumn of 1990. At

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

in October he started odds on for an eleven-runner

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

and pulled clear in the closing stages to win by ten lengths. Shortly after the race, Opera House was exercising at Newmarket when he tripped and fell on a road. He sustained a fracture to his

pastern The is a part of the leg of a horse between the fetlock and the top of the hoof. It incorporates the long pastern bone (proximal phalanx) and the short pastern bone (middle phalanx), which are held together by two sets of paired ligaments to fo ...

which put his career in jeopardy and kept him of the course for eleven months.

1991: three-year-old season

Opera House's three-year-old debut was delayed by his recuperation from injury and he did not race until September, when he won a three-runner race at

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

. Three weeks later, he was beaten a neck by the future

Prince of Wales's Stakes The Prince of Wales's Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 212 yards (2,004 met ...

winner

Perpendicular In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the ''perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It can ...

in a

Listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

race at Goodwood. On his final start of the year he was moved up to

Group Three AP Films or APF, later becoming Century 21 Productions, was a British independent film production company of the 1950s until the early 1970s. The company became internationally known for its imaginative children's action-adventure marionette tel ...

class for the

St. Simon Stakes The St. Simon Stakes is a Group races, Group 3 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Newbury Racecourse, Newbury o ...

at Newbury. He led in the straight before fading in the final furlong and finishing fourth to Further Flight.

1992: four-year-old season

On his 1992 debut, Opera House put up his best performance to date. Although he was beaten in the

Gordon Richards Stakes The Gordon Richards Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong and 209 yards () ...

he looked unlucky in running and did well to finish third behind Dear Doctor (

Arlington Million The Arlington Million is a Grade 1 flat horse race in the United States for thoroughbred horses aged three years and upward on the turf. It was originally raced at the now-closed Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois over a distance of m ...

) and Red Bishop (

Hong Kong Vase The Hong Kong Vase is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (about miles or 12 furlongs) at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year ...

). He then recorded his first major win when getting up in the last stride to beat Zoman (

Washington, D.C. International The Baltimore Washington International Turf Cup is an American Grade III invitational horse race run over one mile. Inaugurated in 1952, it was raced at Laurel Park Racecourse on the turf in Laurel, Maryland, at a distance of miles (12 furlong ...

) in the

Tattersalls Gold Cup The Tattersalls Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 110 yards (2,112 ...

The Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the f ...

. Ten days later he returned to England to win the Group Three

Brigadier Gerard Stakes The Brigadier Gerard Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 209 yards (), and i ...

Sandown Sandown is a seaside resort and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom with the resort of Shanklin to the south and the settlement of Lake, Isle of Wight, Lake in between. Together ...

. Opera House lost his next three starts, beginning with a disappointing sixth place in the

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

. He was moved up to

level and performed with credit, finishing second to

Kooyonga Kooyonga was an Irish champion Thoroughbred racehorse who raced from 1990 to 1992. After showing good form as a juvenile, she had a highly successful three-year-old campaign, winning the Group One Irish 1,000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes ...

in the

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown P ...

and third to

St Jovite St Jovite (11 March 1989 – 9 January 2016) was an American bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse bred and owned by Virginia Kraft Payson. He was sired by Pleasant Colony, winner of the 1981 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. His dam ...

in the

. After a short break he returned to win his third important win of the season, staying on gamely to beat Red Bishop by one and a half lengths in the

Cumberland Lodge Stakes The Cumberland Lodge Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metr ...

Previewing the race, one correspondent described Opera House as a "consistent slugger"- a brave and dependable horse, rather than a brilliant one. Plans to send the horse to America for the

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

did not come to fruition.

1993: five-year-old season

As a five-year-old, Opera House contested seven races, all of them at Group One level, and won three times. He was ridden in all but one of his races by Michael Roberts. On his debut he traveled to France for the first time for the

Prix Ganay The Prix Ganay is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2,100 metres (about 1 mile and 2½ furlongs) at Longc ...

at Longchamp, where he led in the straight before being caught close home and narrowly beaten by Vert Amande. At the

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

meeting at

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

in June he recorded his first Group One win when getting up to win the

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

in a "blanket finish" from

Environment Friend Environment Friend (19 March 1988 – 28 February 2012) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for his win in the 1991 running of the Eclipse Stakes, one of the United Kingdom's most important weight-for-age races. After winning ...

and

Apple Tree An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

. A month later he took the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, leading in the straight and holding off the late challenge of the Italian champion Misil by a short-head. The beaten horses included the

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

winners

Barathea Barathea, sometimes spelled barrathea, is a soft fabric, with a broken twill weft rib, giving a surface that is lightly pebbled or ribbed, with the effect of a twill running both left and right. Original developed as a cloth for mourning clothes ...

and

Arcangues Arcangues (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France in what was formerly the Basque province of Labourd. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arcanguais'' or ''Ar ...

. Opera House was ridden at Sandown by

Michael Kinane Michael J. Kinane (born 22 June 1959, Killenaule, County Tipperary) is an Irish former flat racing jockey. He had a 34-year career, retiring on 8 December 2009. A prolific winner of the Irish, English and French Classic race ...

as Roberts chose to ride Barathea, who he felt would be better suited by the fast ground.

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

's correspondent described the performance as "commendable" whilst questioning the overall value of the form. In the King George at Ascot, Opera House was made 8/1 third favourite in a strong field, behind The Derby winner Commander in Chief and the 1992

European Horse of the Year The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier SA, Cartier. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races (40%) plus the votes cast by British racing journalists (30%) and rea ...

User Friendly Usability can be described as the capacity of a system to provide a condition for its users to perform the tasks safely, effectively, and efficiently while enjoying the experience. In software engineering, usability is the degree to which a soft ...

. Ridden by Michael Roberts, Opera House tracked the leaders before being moved into the lead two furlongs out and stayed on strongly to beat

White Muzzle White Muzzle (21 March 1990 – February 2017) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After failing to win as a juvenile in 1992 he racked up five consecutive wins in the following spring including the Derby Italiano and the Churchi ...

by one and a half lengths with Commander in Chief third. After the race, Stoute praised the horse, saying "I hope for his sake they'll now give him some credit." On his next start Opera House was made evens favourite for the

Leopardstown Leopardstown () is a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. Located at the foot of the Dublin Mountains, it is a residential suburb with institutional lands and a large racecourse. It is di ...

. He took the lead in the straight but was caught inside the final furlong and beaten half a length by

Muhtarram Muhtarram is an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred race horse. He won the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Ascot twice, in addition to the Irish Champion Stakes and the Premio Presidente della Repubblica in Italy. Background Muhtarram was ...

. In the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...

at Longchamp in October he took the lead in the straight and ran on under pressure after being headed to finish third, beaten a neck and half a length by

Urban Sea Urban Sea (18 February 1989 – 2 March 2009) was an American bred Thoroughbred racemare best known for winning France's most prestigious race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, in 1993 and for her importance as a world-class broodmare. She is one o ...

and White Muzzle. Stoute offered no excuses, although he pointed out that the very soft ground might not have suited the horse. On his final start he travelled to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

for the

in which he finished sixth behind Kotashaan. An invitation to run in the

Japan Cup The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...

was declined, and Opera House was retired to stud by his new owners, the

Japan Racing Association The Japan Racing Association ( ja, 日本中央競馬会 Nippon Chūō Keiba Kai, or JRA) is a public company established to operate Chūō Keiba (中央競馬 Central horse racing) and to manage racecourses, betting facilities, and horse-training ...

Assessment, honors and awards

Opera House was named European Champion Older Horse at the 1993

Cartier Racing Awards The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races (40%) plus the votes cast by British racing journalists (30%) and readers of th ...

. In the International Classification for 1993, Opera House was rated the best older horse in Europe with a figure of 129, one pound below the three-year-old champion

Zafonic Zafonic (1 April 1990 – 7 September 2002) was a European Thoroughbred racehorse bred in Kentucky. He was the 1992 European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt and won the following year's 2,000 Guineas. Background Zafonic was sired by the Mr. Pr ...

Stud career

Opera House retired to the

Shizunai Stallion Station Shizunai Stallion Station is a Japanese Thoroughbred horse farm was opened in 1963 and is located on the island of Hokkaidō. Operated by the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association (JBBA), it is located in Shizunai whose sister city is Lexingto ...

in Japan, where he died following a paddock accident during April 2016. The stallion was retired from stud duties in 2013 after nineteen breeding seasons at Shizunai Stallion Station. His progeny include the World's leading money earner

T M Opera O T M Opera O ( ja, テイエムオペラオー, link=no, March 13, 1996 – May 2018) was a champion Japanese thoroughbred racehorse, and was the world's all-time leading money earner at the time of his retirement in 2001. In 1999, he was the ...

(

Arima Kinen The Arima Kinen (有馬記念) is a Grade I flat horse race in Japan open to Thoroughbreds which are three-years-old or above and the world's largest betting horserace.

Tenno Sho The is a horse race held twice a year in Japan, once in the spring and once in the autumn. "Tenno" means "Emperor of Japan". The races are both International Grade I races. Prior to the 2007 races, both Tenno Sho races were Japanese domestic Gr ...

), and

Meisho Samson Meisho Samson (Japanese : メイショウサムソン, March 7, 2003 - ) is a Japanese racehorse which won the Tokyo Yūshun and Satsuki Sho in 2006, and the Tenno Sho (Spring and Autumn) in 2007. Stud career Meisho Samson's descendants include: ...

(

Japanese Derby Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspo ...

Pedigree

References

{{Cartier Champion Older Horse 1988 racehorse births 2016 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Cartier Award winners Thoroughbred family 13-e King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners