Crystal Ocean and Beat The Bank limber up as connections eye Group 1 glory

Beat The Bank (Silvetre de Sousa, left) sees of Sharja Bridge (right) to win the bet365 Mile at Sandown on Friday

Beat The Bank (Silvetre de Sousa, left) sees off Sharja Bridge (right) to win the bet365 Mile at Sandown on FridayCredit: Mark Cranham

Sandown showcased just why Flat racing needs high-class five-year-olds to keep on rolling when Beat The Bank and Crystal Ocean had connections hoping for top-flight success after their latest Group 2 wins.

Ryan Moore was suitably impressed after Crystal Ocean took the Gordon Richards Stakes with much more authority than 12 months ago as he had all bases covered from early in the straight before pulling clear of the front-running Knight To Behold.

Trainer Sir Michael Stoute, for whom this was a tenth victory in the race, said: "That was a better performance than last year but he's a little bit more forward. He's been a model of consistency and we need to win a Group 1 with him."

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Bruce JacksonReporter

Published on 26 April 2019inReports

Last updated 20:00, 26 April 2019

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