Soumillon steps in for victory

Having chased home Frankel in no less the four Group Ones, O’Brien unsurprisingly decided to avoid another clash with the greatest horse in the world and to head to France instead – even though this contest contained nine individual Group One winners.

John Gosden supplied two of those in Fallen For You and Elusive Kate, and it was the latter who tried to make all.

Cityscape loomed up as a danger, with Soumillon hard at work on 
Excelebration, but, as they entered the final furlong, the Irish runner began to pick up and O’Brien’s 
four-year-old was well on top at the line.

Cityscape had to settle for finishing just over a length away in second, with Elusive Kate just holding on for third from the fast-finishing Moonlight Cloud.

Ryan Moore had been due to ride Excelebration but was stood down by the racecourse doctor after a fall earlier in the day.

“It was a fantastic chance ride to get,” said Soumillon.

“I feel very sorry for Ryan as he had been telling me before his fall that he thought the horse would actually win

O’Brien was absent, but Tom Goff, of Blandford Bloodstock, said after speaking to Coolmore: “He’s in all the top mile races worldwide.”

As for the runner-up Cityscape, his trainer, Roger Charlton, said: “We’ve been beaten by a plainly better horse today.

“But it was an extremely brave effort and he galloped all the way to the line.

“We can’t be anything other than pleased, and now anything is possible. Ascot (Champions Day) would be a target, depending on what Frankel does.”

Tom Dascombe feels Ceiling Kitty is capable of getting in the mix when she contests the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes at York on August 24.

The speedy juvenile has won her last three starts, including the prestigious Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot, after which connections decided to let their filly take on her elders on Knavesmire at the Ebor festival.

Due to the age and sex allowances she will receive, Ceiling Kitty will be running off a featherweight, but Dascombe does harbour some doubts about whether she will have the required strength at the end of the race.

“She’s won at York over five (furlongs) already,” commented Dascombe.

“She travels brilliantly and she’s got the speed to lay up with them – it’s whether she’s got the speed to go past them.

“She’s improving, but I’m not sure she’s going to improve as much as some other two-year-olds.”