Wilgerbosdrift’s G1 Travers Stakes winning sire Flower Alley is enjoying a wonderful season in 2021-2022 and his daughter Opera Glass became his 30th individual stakes winner when she captured Saturday’s Listed Racehorse Owners AssociationSpook Express Stakes at Turffontein.
Trained by Stephen Moffat, four-year-old Opera Glass was given a finely judged ride by S’Manga Khumalo.
Khumalo bought his mount to the front a long way from home, and Opera Glass kept finding more gamely in the closing stages to land the Listed feature by nearly three-parts of a length.
The consistent filly has now won six of her 23 starts, with Opera Glass having finished second, to stablemate Rouge Allure, in the Listed Jacaranda Handicap last time out and third in the G3 WSB Club Prive Acacia Stakes previously.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, Opera Glass is out of the Fort Wood mare Loupe.
Opera Glass is one of a growing number of talented daughters of Flower Alley, with others including champion My Wandy’s Girl, G1 Ashland Stakes winner Lilacs And Lace, this season’s dual graded stakes winner Bold Fortune and the very talented Princess Calla.
Broodmare sire of this year’s leading Kentucky Derby hope Cyberknife, Flower Alley has three daughters on offer at the upcoming National Yearling Sale including a half-sister (Lot 393) to this season’s top-class three-year-old Waterberry Lane.