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.
"William and I were chatting away yesterday and there wasn't a pace angle declared, so we said let him do what his father did and jump and run," said Appleby of the decision to make all.
"This horse is electric out of the gates and Will has always said he'll take two or three lengths out of them out of the gates.
"It was a great ride from Will there and a track you could do that on. Full credit to the horses in behind for getting so close, as it was always going to be a tough ask once our lad built up that lead and he maintained the gallop well.
"I just loved the way he went down to post today and he just hacked - I knew then he was in a good place. You could probably mark that up and people are saying he's the fit horse, but that was back in January. Maybe that run under his belt did help.
"Our plan was always to step back up to nine furlongs for the Prix d'Ispahan. I would imagine that's where we will go.
"The Lockinge is of course there for us, but Notable Speech is on course for that."
Roger Varian's Saddadd came from last to first to claim top honours in the bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes, opening up a host of potentially exciting options in the process.
The four-year-old won the lucrative London Gold Cup at Newbury and another valuable handicap over this course and distance last season, before finishing a close-up third when stepped up to Listed class for Goodwood's Fountain Stakes.
He was a 2-1 shot for his seasonal reappearance and was produced with a well-timed challenge down the outside of the field by Ray Dawson to get up and beat the front-running King Of Cities by a length and three-quarters, with 15-8 favourite Almeric five and a half lengths further behind in third.
Varian said: "He's an absolute darling of a horse and if you looked at him in the paddock he was asleep and has the most delightful attitude. If I could put his brain into every good horse I've had… he just reminds me of all those good horses with a very good brain to go with it.
"He won here like a really good horse last September and even though he got beat at Goodwood in a very strong Listed race afterwards, he wasn't the same horse.
"He needed the winter and we sat on him a long time last year when the ground was very firm and although he didn't race much he had a very elongated stretch of training and I think he was just over the top at Goodwood. But he's a nice horse.
"Ray was pretty adamant we don't need to be moving the goalposts just yet and I think we'll stay at 10 furlongs for now. I'm sure if we asked him he would stay and he has a relaxed style of running, but he's matured very well and I liked the way he put the race to bed."
He added: "He's a horse we have always loved and we have to dream he's a Group One horse, but his next race will tell us more.
"I would love to perhaps end up at Ascot in a Champion Stakes. We know he'll handle cut in the ground and he's going to get better throughout the year.
"Horses who win this race go on to dip their toe in at Group One level. Of course we don't know if he is of that level yet and you could safely say that wasn't a Group One field there. It was a strong, select field but not a Group One field, so we don't know his level just yet, but he's run well enough to be asked the question at some point.
"I think we'll digest today and see where the ladder is going. He's in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and I could see him enjoying the Curragh as a track, but does he need to be tackling that level just yet?
"We would love to come back here in the summer for the Eclipse and he's won twice over course and distance. How do we get there? Is he a Royal Ascot horse?
"Coming here today I didn't know if we would be going up to a mile and a half and going Aston Park and Hardwicke or coming back here under a penalty for the Brigadier Gerard or taking a chance in the Tattersalls Gold Cup.
"I think I'm quite settled at staying at a mile and a quarter, it's just a question of which race we go for."
Black Star Boy could have booked his ticket to bigger days with a thoroughly impressive victory in the bet365 Handicap at Sandown.
Ed Walker's son of Starman was deemed good enough to run at Listed level at two and could end up competing in good company again this term after striking in the hands of Kieran Shoemark at 9-1.
The Lambourn handler was eyeing a trip to Royal Ascot for the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes, but may now aim even higher.
Walker said: "He's another good advert for his sire and an absolute beast of a horse with a great temperament. He's very fast on his dam's side as well so he was always going to be a sprinter, looks like a sprinter and he had been working very well at home.
"He got very upset in the stalls at York and then came out with his tail on fire and pulled like a train, never got any cover and it was ugly. Today went really well, Kieran gave him the perfect ride and he's an exciting sprinter.
"The Palace of Holyroodhouse was always the plan, but we'll see what the handicapper does. I was quite impressed with him today.
"We stuck him in a Listed race last year because we thought he was of that class. Do we go the Sandy Lane (at Haydock) and have a go? We'll see what the handicapper does."
