Fairy Godmother overcame adversity to get favourite backers off to a flying start on day four of Royal Ascot, lunging late to secure victory in the Albany Stakes.
Aidan O'Brien's filly was a 15-8 shot off the back of a Group Three victory at Naas last month, but little went right for her during the six-furlong contest.
After initially being settled towards the rear, the daughter of Night Of Thunder began to pull fiercely for her head shortly after halfway and was soon stuck behind a wall of horses.
But it is testament to Fairy Godmother's latent talent that after being switched across to the stands' rail, she fairly motored home in the hands of Ryan Moore to get up and beat Simmering by three-quarters of a length. The winner's front-running stablemate Heavens Gate was a neck further back in third.
"I gave her an impossible task and she got me out of a hole," said Moore.
"It's incredible she was able to win from that position so it's all credit to her. She's a very good filly.
"Down at the start she looked different class, she suggested that before she ran, and when she won last time. Today, that was a big performance."
Inisherin produced a dominant display to stamp his class on the Commonwealth Cup.
Sixth over a mile in the 2000 Guineas, the Shamardal colt successfully dropped back to six furlongs in last month's Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock, prompting connections to supplement him for this Group One contest at a cost of £46,000.
With fellow Sheikh Mohammed Obaid-owned contender Elite Status a significant non-runner, Inisherin was the 9-4 favourite in the hands of Tom Eaves and his supporters will have had few concerns.
Kept out of trouble down the the middle of the track, Kevin Ryan's speedster was travelling much the best entering the final two furlongs and found plenty once asked to extend to score by two and a quarter lengths from Lake Forest.
Calandagan delivered an impressive blow for the French raiders at Royal Ascot, as he routed his opponents in the King Edward VII Stakes.
The French contingent looked blessed with plenty of live chances prior to the meeting, but they had to wait until the penultimate race on day four to get on the board via the Aga Khan-owned son of Gleneagles.
Keen to set a stiff stamina test for 2-1 favourite Diego Velazquez, the remaining Aidan O'Brien-trained team forced the pace in the early stages, with Chief Little Rock the one to go on in an attempt to stretch the field.
Having travelled alongside the well-regarded second favourite Space Legend into the straight, Diego Velazquez struggled to make his presence felt, and just as James Doyle began to get busy aboard one of Wathnan Racing’s big-money buys, the eye was drawn to Calandagan who was storming into contention.
Stephane Pasquier delivered the 11-2 shot with just over a furlong to run and he soon stretched clear of Space Legend for the most taking of victories.
It was trainer Francis-Henri Graffard’s second winner at the Royal meeting having first tasted success with Watch Me in the Coronation Stakes back in 2019.
Billy Loughnane struck for the second time during Royal Ascot, as Soprano hit the right note in the Sandringham Stakes.
Winner of the Coventry Stakes on the opening day of the meeting, the 18-year-old was wearing the blue silks of Highclere Thoroughbreds aboard George Boughey's three-year-old, who was good enough to place in group company as a two-year-old.
Third in the Albany at this meeting 12 months ago, she was racing in a handicap for the first time in this one-mile event and was sent off at 14-1.
With the action favouring those racing on the stands side of the track, the daughter of Starspangledbanner burst out of the pack to hunt down Rachel King aboard John and Thady Gosden’s Strutting deep inside the final furlong to win by half a length.
Loughnane said: "I had to bide my time, and she finished off very well. Her form was very strong from a two-year-old and this is her first step back in a handicap – she’d been running in stakes company – and first try over the mile as well.
"She hit the line well. She’s a filly with a lot of ability and, if I’m honest, she probably would have been a lot closer at Musselburgh. She was a bit slow through the gates on a front-running course. I was too far behind and I didn’t give her the greatest of rides. I’m delighted to be able to repay the owners and thank them very much for keeping faith.
"It means a lot to ride a winner for George. I had my first winner for him a year ago last week and we’ve had plenty more since. Without George, I’m not sure I would have kept the momentum up after losing my claim. He’s been massive for me and I’ve got a lot to thank him for.
"This is a dream come true and the week keeps getting better and better. When you get the feeling, you always want to have it again."
Boughey said: "Unlucky wouldn’t quite quantify it. Huge credit has to go to Harry (Herbert, Highclere racing manager), we had a long phone conversation in the office the other morning, I wanted to go to Carlisle and he wanted to go to Ascot!
"She’s been a filly we’ve always held in really high regard, leaving Epsom (on Derby day) I said 'we’ve got to go to the Sandringham, we’ve got to try the mile’ because she hit the line so strong at Musselburgh.
"She’s been difficult, she’s been a bit keen and a bit numb. Billy did a great job settling her but she’s taken a while to relax at home. I was thinking I was saddling her there, she was mauling me as a two-year-old but she stood quiet as a lamb and she’s come of age, just like her jockey."
Yorkshire-based father and daughter training team of David and Nicola Barron that came out on top with Pilgrim in the closing Palace of Holyrood House Stakes.
A wide-margin winner at Musselburgh earlier this month, the son of Havana Grey was expertly steered to an 18-1 success by Gold Cup-winning jockey Joe Fanning.
He said: "He’s done it well there.
"We always thought that he was a really nice horse, not just a good two-year-old, and he’s shown there today he’s good.
"It’s a great place to come and have a winner, so it’s very nice."
