On Sunday Mandesha brilliantly took the high class Group 1 Prix de l’Opéra at Longchamp taking her third Group 1 race in as many races.

After holding a position at the rear of the field, she found a narrow gap up the rails in the straight and stayed on strongly to beat Satwa Queen by three quarters of a length, with triple Oaks winner Alexandrova two and a half lengths further back in third. Mandesha had previously won the Prix d’Astarté over a mile and then the Prix Vermeille over a mile and a half while the mile and a quarter Opera completed her Group 1 hat-trick.

According to owner/breeder Princess Zahra Aga Khan “she comes from a family that has the capacity to accelerate, and the really great horses can place their acceleration at any distance. Dalakhani was like that.” The 3-y-o daughter of Mandalara will not run again this year but she will be kept in training as a 4yo with the Arc as a possible target for 2007.

Updated on 05/10/2006