Standing in for the suspended Jim Crowley on the Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner, Dettori took the bull by the horns in a race without an obvious source of pace, sending Mostahdaf on immediately, and setting sharp fractions to ensure a true test at the trip.

The winner looked vulnerable as Moore asked a willing Paddington to close the gap halfway up the straight, but Mostahdaf pulled out extra when asked to maintain his lead, with Paddington the one beginning to flag at the finish as he lost second in the dying strides.

Dettori was winning his sixth International, and by doing so, edged ahead of the great Lester Piggott to become the contest’s leading rider. This was also another highlight for the Shadwell stable overseen by Sheikha Hissa Hamdan, adding to Baaeed’s win in 2022 and following on from the victory of Hukum in the King George.

John Gosden said: “I think Frankie is like many of us, he’s getting better with age! At Ascot people questioned whether Mostahdaf was as good as he looked, but he’s probably stopped the clock in impressive fashion again.

“It was the plan to make it a real test today. There was no point letting Ryan do his own thing. It was like Roberto and Brigadier Gerard all over again but the filly finished second, the other boy has been very busy.”

“I’ve always thought he was a very good horse, but when he won the Neom Cup, that was electric. We then stupidly tried him over a mile and a half again against the Japanese world champion and got put in our box. I’ll see what the owner wants to do, she’s done wonderfully, her father would be so proud of her.

“The Irish Champion has to be a possibility, but I always like to get home and make a decision after 10 days. Some are trying to persuade me to run him in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on the dirt, but I don’t know about that.”

RYAN Moore judged the pace to a nicety as he came from last to first to gain an emphatic victory in the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes at York on Wednesday on Continuous for Aidan O’Brien.

Sent off the 4/1 second favourite on the back of his second to King Of Steel in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot, Continuous responded to Moore’s every call to power home by three and three quarter lengths from Castle Way (Charlie Appleby/William Buick).

With Dettori trying to make it a test for Gregory (John and Thady Gosden), and a couple of rivals keen to keep the favourite under close tabs, the pace was a strong one, and Moore wanted no part of it. The pace began to tell in the straight, and Moore and Continuous worked their way into contention going well, and when Gregory couldn’t go on two furlongs out, the writing was firmly on the wall.

Castle Way is proven over further and tried to make a race of it, but had no answer to the winner’s finishing power, albeit beating Gregory by a length for second with the others 11 lengths and more in arrears.

Immediately after the race, Continuous was promoted above Gregory in the St Leger betting, but the longer trip at Doncaster is sure to suit the latter, who carried a 3lb penalty here for his Queen’s Vase win, and John Gosden seemed more than happy with the latter’s effort in a race that didn’t suit ideally.

O’Brien said: “He’s a lovely horse who is progressing, he has enough class for a mile and a half and could stay further. He’s an exciting horse really. He handles an ease in the ground well as he has a bit of a round action, but that was fast ground there today – Ryan said it was quicker than it was at Royal Ascot – and he didn’t seem to have any problem with it.”

Asked about stepping up in trip for the St Leger, he replied: “I asked Ryan about that; he said he doesn’t need a mile and six but he said you wouldn’t rule it out.”

INDIAN Run (Eve Johnson Houghton/Danny Tudhope) looked a colt of some potential as he landed the Group 3 Acomb Stakes in impressive style.

Winner of the valuable Crocker Bulteel maiden at Ascot on his second start, the son of Sioux Nation progressed again to beat a strong field in the style of a smart performer.

Settled on the outside near the rear of the field, the 17/2 chance coped well with the fast ground and quickened well to lead over a furlong out before keeping on stoutly to defy the challenge of favourite Ballymount Boy (Adrian Keatley/Jason Hart) by a length and a half. Loose Cannon (William Haggas/Tom Marquand) kept on late for third, a further length and a quarter behind.

Owned by the Bronte Collection, set up by owner and York sponsor Steve Parkin, and including Yorkshire and England cricketer Johnny Bairstow, Indian Run could now attempt to follow in the footsteps of 2022 winner Chaldean and head for the Dewhurst Stakes next.

Vocal critic

“That was very exciting and I’m really happy,” said the winning trainer, a vocal critic of over-watering.

“This ground is perfect flat racing ground; thank God we are allowed to have fast ground. This is an appeal to all courses ‘it might rain – do not water’!

“He’s in the Dewhurst so we’ll probably look there. He’s so unfurnished he needs time, so we’ll give him a nice break until then, I imagine. Last year’s winner won the Guineas, so shall we dream?”