Field Of Gold no match for Opera Ballo in bet365 Mile

Opera Ballo produced a brilliant front-running performance to land the bet365 Mile at Sandown.

The Ghaiyyath colt had looked every inch a top-class horse in the making after winning four of his first five starts and while he was no match for the reopposing Zeus Olympios in Newmarket’s Joel Stakes in the autumn, he had since registered two emphatic victories in Dubai.

Third best in the market at 4-1 for this Group Two contest, Charlie Appleby’s charge was sent straight to the lead by William Buick and dictated throughout.

Last year’s Irish Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes winner Field Of Gold, who was the even-money favourite to bounce back from a disappointing end to last season, came from a long way back to mount his challenge and won the battle for second with the previously unbeaten Zeus Olympios.

Neither ever really looked like laying a glove on Opera Ballo, though, who was good value for the winning margin of three lengths.