MONDIALISTE TO HIT MILE HIGH

Mondialiste can put his fruitless trip to Dubai behind him by returning to winning ways in the bet365 Mile at Sandown tomorrow.

David O’Meara probably knew the fate of his stable star before the gates opened at Meydan for the Dubai Turf as continuous rain had turned the ground soft.

A quick look through his form suggests that the seven-year-old is not far off the best milers around on quick ground but when the mud is flying he simply is not as good.

The wettest ground he has won on is good to soft but that was at a lowly level in France when he was still trained by Freddy Head.

His form reached a new level with O’Meara, from being beaten a head in the Lincoln on his stable debut, culminating with a famous win in the Arlington Million last year.

A year previously he also showed his class when winning the Woodbine Mile but both of those of those triumphs were on quick ground.

While he does stay further than eight furlongs, as he showed when winning at Arlington, his best form is at a mile and he should be fit having been trained for Dubai.

With John Gosden stealing a march on his Newmarket neighbours it is hard to look beyond Royal Artillery in the Gordon Richards Stakes.

Far from this being a case of just backing him blindly, however, he also has one of the best pieces of form in the race, having come up against the allconquering Almanzor last time out.

The lightly-raced Coolmore-owned colt has been hampered by setbacks for most of his career but this could be the season he fulfils his potential.

In beating Scottish and Arab Spring at Haydock he served notice of his talent and his third to Almanzor and Zarak is form out of the top drawer.

Gosden can double up with Monarchs Glen in the Classic Trial.

The son of Frankel created a huge impression at Kempton on his return in handicap company making a mockery of a mark of 87.