Battaash delighted his followers with a third successive victory in the King George Qatar Stakes at Goodwood.
For the second year in row, the Charlie Hills-trained speedball had found the now-retired Blue Point too strong in the King's Stand at Royal Ascot, but he was a prohibitively-priced 1-4 favourite to claim a ninth career win in a five-furlong Group Two he dominated in 2017 and 2018.
The five-year-old jumped out of the stalls smartly and after taking an early lead from outsider Ornate, he took over passing the two-furlong marker.
Just when it looked he would go on to record another emphatic success, the high-class Australian mare Houtzen - making her first start for Martyn Meade - came from out of the pack to throw down a challenge, and briefly looked set to make a real race of it.
In the end, however, Battaash was well on top as he passed the post three-quarters of a length to the good, with Ornate boxing on admirably for third.
