Society Rock returned to Group One-winning form with victory in the Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock for James Fanshawe and Kieren Fallon.
A high-class sprinter on his day, Society Rock was winning his second race at the highest level, having been successful in the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot last year.
Second in two other Group Ones during his career, this was his first triumph since that day at the Royal meeting and well deserved, particularly in light of previous problems he has had with the stalls.
Third in this year's July Cup, plenty of his best form had come with plenty of cut in the ground but he was encountering vastly different conditions on Merseyside.
The five-year-old travelled strongly off what looked just a moderate pace set by Strong Suit and Es Que Love and got a nice run up the rail as Fallon started to get to work inside the two-furlong pole.
Hitting the front a furlong out, the 10-1 chance ran on well to hold the challenge of Irish raider Gordon Lord Byron by three-quarters of a length, with the well-backed Bated Breath, the narrow runner-up last year, in third.
Australian mare Ortensia, the 5-2 favourite, raced much handier than when winning the Nunthorpe at York but could never get in a serious blow and was heavily eased in the final furlong in beating just one home.
Paul Messara's charge was reported to have sustained a cut above the sesamoid bone on her front leg when suffering an overreach.
Fanshawe said: "It's been a real team effort, I just felt he was a very underrated horse."
We've been really working on him in the stalls since the July Cup and it's paid off today.
"I haven't had a winner at Haydock in about three years, and I thought with the ground a bit quick and the stalls that we had no chance.
"You could say his best ever performance had been in the Golden Jubilee Stakes as a three-year-old (when second to Starspangledbanner in 2010) and that was on fast ground.
"I'm looking forward to the Qipco Champions Sprint at Ascot in October.
"This is the second Group One he has won and he is a proper horse.
"If we had got his stalls problem organised a bit earlier, I'm sure his record would have been even better.
"He completely missed the break when he was fifth in this year's Golden Jubilee. He's always hovered there in these big sprint races.
"I was very worried about the ground. I think Haydock is like Ascot. It is better to ride than to walk because it has got that cushion underneath.
"We were thinking about pulling him out at one stage but I'm glad we didn't.
"We've tried everything with him and Yarmy (Steve Dibble) has done a brilliant job and so has the lad who has been riding him."
"I'm chuffed for the horse, the owner and the yard."
Fallon said: "It all came right today and he's done it well. He travelled really well and I got all the splits down the rail that I needed.
"He's a little terrier and he tries very hard, which is what you need in this type of race.
"I followed James (Doyle, on Bated Breath) through as I thought he was the horse I had to beat, he gave me a lovely lead through and I was able to pick up on that fast ground.
"I've never won this race before, so it was nice. I want to get as many Group Ones as I can.
"When I was riding for Aidan O'Brien I was usually in Ireland as it clashed with the Irish Champion Stakes for a good few years."
Gordon Lord Byron was promoted to 10-1 clear favourite for the Ayr Gold Cup on September 22 by William Hill.
His trainer Tom Hogan said: "It was a great run and he's a smashing horse.
"William Buick told me after York that he needed a stiff six and that he would win a Group One over a stiff six or seven.
"He said Haydock might be a bit sharp for him and his reading was probably 100% right.
"There are lots of options. He's in the Ayr Gold Cup in a fortnight's time and he doesn't have a penalty for that."
