Father beat son in the Boodles Dee Stakes as Aidan O'Brien’s San Antonio repelled the Donnacha O’Brien-trained Alder at Chester.
Alder was the favourite for the Listed contest following an impressive start to his season at Cork, with San Antonio sent off at 16-5 following victory on the all-weather at Dundalk.
Ryan Moore had San Antonio well positioned throughout, allowing his mount to stride to the front while his rivals jostled for position in behind.
Gavin Ryan delivered Alder with a major challenge rounding the home turn, but San Antonio refused to yield in front and passed the post with a length and three-quarters in hand to give O’Brien a 10th victory in the race.
O'Brien said: "Donnacha’s horse ran a stormer having got dropped back in a messy race. But Ryan had his horse in a better position and was able to control the race.
"We were always going to ride him forward. He’s nice and relaxed and was happy to have horses around him, and he found plenty.
"Obviously it looks like he’s adaptable and will get further. Epsom has to be looked at as well as Ascot and France. The lads will decide."
The Dubawi colt can still be backed at 25-1 for the Betfred Derby, for which O’Brien’s 2000 Guineas disappointment Auguste Rodin remains favourite with some firms, in company with Arrest and Military Order.
O’Brien added: "We’ve always thought the world of Auguste Rodin as everything came so easily to him. He’s come out of the Guineas well and will go to straight for the Derby.
"With the Lingfield trial now on the all-weather Bertinelli will go there. The horse we would have run at Lingfield (Gooloogong) might go to Epsom and Continuous heads for the Dante at York."
O’Brien junior has not lost faith in the runner-up.
He said: "The race was a bit of a mess and in ground I didn’t think he would like I actually think he ran very well. He quickened up nicely then just flattened out in that ground, but I was very happy with him.
"We’ll take him home and see how he comes out of it and make a plan then. For sure he could go to one of the Derbys either Epsom or the Curragh or something like that, but we’ll make a plan at a later stage.
"You have very little chance from out back when they go that slow, but that’s racing and that’s Chester."
Hamish (7-4) became the first horse in over 20 years to secure back-to-back victories in the tote.co.uk Bet £5 Get £20 Ormonde Stakes.
The William Haggas-trained gelding may be a seven-year-old, but he has been raced sparingly, with this only his 15th career start.
His six previous victories include three at Group Three level, with his win on the Roodee supplemented by success in the Cumberland Lodge at Ascot in October.
With conditions to suit, Hamish was given plenty of time to find his feet by Tom Marquand as favourite Changingoftheguard set out to make all.
The complexion of the race changed before the home turn when Changingoftheguard came under pressure while Hamish was only getting going and he was ultimately good value for the winning margin of a length and a quarter. Lone Eagle stuck to his task well to split the pair in second.
Hamish is only the fourth horse to win a second Ormonde Stakes and the first since St Expedit claimed successive wins in 2001 and 2002.
Maureen Haggas, assistant to her husband, said: "He was second in the Irish Leger last year and is in at York (Yorkshire Cup) next week. He could run there if there was some cut in the ground and he told us he was ready, as William's father (Brian Haggas, owner) loves York.
"He had a tendon injury as a four-year-old – who knows what he might have achieved without that? But he’s one Andrew Tinkler and I fight to ride (at home), you get such an attachment to a horse like him.
"He once ran on good to firm at Newbury but he won’t be asked to race on anything faster than genuine good ground again.
"The whole family like a bit of cut in the ground, and all credit to him today as it wasn’t run to suit him.
