Frankie Dettori marks his final Ebor Festival in champion style on Knavesmire

Riding at his final Ebor meeting, the Italian’s logical likely winner was the Ralph Beckett-trained Kinross, a hugely consistent gelding Dettori has previously described as his ‘cash machine’ as he wins valuable prizes with such regularity.

The cash machine was in good working order as Kinross paid out once again in the Sky Bet City of York Stakes, winning by three quarters of a length. The dust had barely settled on that success when Dettori was then given the leg up on Willie Mullins’ Absurde in the meeting’s namesake race, the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap.

The dual-purpose gelding was a 7-1 shot although his chances looked to diminish when he was drawn widest of all in stall 24 and they shrunk even more when Dettori was forced to lead the troublesome five-year-old to post.

Mullins certainly seemed to have lowered his expectations and had told Dettori to do as he pleased, and under that freedom he produced a ride not dissimilar to last year’s winning effort aboard Trawlerman.

The duo raced wide early on and avoided the bulk of the field until the turn away from the stalls, travelling along in the slipstream of Real Dream and eventually slotting in among the leading handful.

There they remained until the home straight and when the race switched from the middle side to the stands’ side rail, Dettori gained and regained the lead several times as his mount locked horns with Live Your Dream and 5-2 favourite Sweet William.

And, in the final strides, an Ebor triumph was added to a 2023 haul that so far includes the 2000 Guineas, the Oaks, the Gold Cup at Ascot and the Juddmonte International – a list of prizes any rider at their peak would be proud of.

“This morning I woke up, I felt a little bit sad,” he said. “I was a bit sentimental, I can’t explain, and I thought ‘god, if I can ride one more winner at the Ebor that would be great.

“Kinross would be my banker because he doesn’t know how to run a bad race and I was drawn 24 on Willie Mullins’ horse, I thought that was asking the impossible.

“I pulled it off! Full credit to the horse and the trainer. It just worked out, what can I say?”

Middle Earth entered the St Leger picture after a taking win in the Sky Bet Melrose Handicap.

Oisin Murphy brought the three-year-old with a strong run with a furlong to run and the John and Thady Gosden-trained colt held off Aidan O’Brien’s Denmark by a length and three-quarters.

Summerghand (11-2 favourite), who lost the Great St Wilfrid by a short-head last weekend, dead-heated with Albasheer (7-1) in the Sky Bet Constantine Handicap.

William Buick delivered Daniel and Claire Kubler’s 100-30 shot Astro King with a well-timed challenge to land the concluding Sky Bet Finale Handicap.