Zeus Olympios proves too good for Opera Ballo in Joel Stakes

Zeus Olympios remained unbeaten with a brilliant success from Opera Ballo in the Joel Stakes at Newmarket.

Karl Burke’s son of Night Of Thunder arrived with a growing reputation after a taking win at Haydock earlier this month and in his toughest task to date marked himself out as a colt firmly on the rise when mastering his rivals on the Rowley Mile.

With Spigot Lodge stablemate Flight Plan cutting out the early running in the BoyleSports-sponsored Group Two, Clifford Lee had the keen-going 2-1 second-favourite hot on his heels, with Charlie Appleby’s highly-touted Opera Ballo also in close proximity.

William Buick moved up stylishly to make his challenge aboard Opera Ballo with two furlongs to run, but Lee had the move covered and soon slipped Zeus Olympios into top gear, with the colt responding instantly to surge past the 4-5 favourite inside the final furlong before extending the advantage to two and a quarter lengths at the finish.

Burke said: “I’m very happy, obviously. He’s a beautiful horse and I knew he’d strengthened and gone forward from Haydock.

“Interestingly he wasn’t heavier, but to my eye physically he looked stronger and he’s obviously a horse with a big future.

“I wouldn’t say he’s taken us by surprise, we’ve always thought he was a lovely horse but he was such a weak horse as well. He arrived to us from Roger Varian’s as a bit of a shell and then he got a bit of injury, but so often when those immature two-year-olds get injuries, as long as they’re not major it’s a blessing in disguise as you have to lock them up and all they do is grow and strengthen.

“I think he has to be a very good horse for the favourite to get first run on us today and for us to then come and cut him down.”

Zeus Olympios does not hold any further entries this season and when asked whether he could consider supplementing his charge for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot, Burke added: “I’d have to speak to Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, I don’t know.

“It comes a bit quick and he obviously has Rosallion for the that, I can’t see they’d take each other on and I’ve always said our horse is very much a horse for next year.

“I’m sure next season we’ll start by aiming at the Lockinge and go from there.”

Appleby was keen to credit the winner and said on Racing TV: “First of all the winner is a good horse. I thought when William made his move that the winner had been keen enough and he would have a job to pick up, but he did and fair play to him.

“He (Opera Ballo) is a horse I would like to take to Dubai and get him on a turning track to teach this horse to do it the right way.

“I’ve seen what he can do in the mornings when he gets cover. It wasn’t as if he was as keen as he was in the Craven (only previous defeat), but he’s doing too much.

“If we can get him on a turning track and step him up in trip for something like the Dubai Millennium maybe.

“It is not like he is completely fluffing his lines in the afternoon, there is just a little bit of maturity that needs to be nurtured and I’m confident in the spring we will see a different horse.”