Richard Hannon's Rosallion turned around the 2000 Guineas form with Notable Speech when coming home in front of Henry Longfellow to land the St James's Palace Stakes.
With winners of the 2,000 Guineas, Irish 2,000 Guineas and Poule d'Essai des Poulains all lining up for the first time since Galileo Gold's triumph in 2016, many had been calling the St James's Palace Stakes the must-watch contest of the week and it certainly didn't disappoint.
Team Aidan O'Brien did what they do best and controlled the tempo of the Group 1 prize, with Unquestionable leading the field of eight from stablemate Henry Longfellow, who was sat on the coattail of the leader throughout the mile feature.
Wayne Lordan quickened the pace as the field turned for home, setting up proceedings in perfect fashion for Ryan Moore and Henry Longfellow. Last year's five-length National Stakes winner swept to the front with ease in his bid to put a disappointing reappearance effort in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains behind him, but the eye was quickly drawn to Rosallion, who was still travelling kindly down towards the rail under a patient Sean Levey.
Levey and Rosallion would need the gaps to appear. Luck would prove on their side this afternoon and the pair soon scythed through to pack as they set off in hot pursuit of the Aidan O'Brien-trained Henry Longfellow. The latter continued to find generously under the urgings of Ryan Moore, but in all truth, the result never looked like being in doubt and with a breathtaking turn of foot, Rosallion soon hit top gear to move alongside with 50 yards to travel.
Just as he did in the Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh a few weeks ago, Rosallion nosed to the front close home, eventually winning snugly by a neck.
Charlie Appleby's 2000 Guineas hero was sent off the 6/4 market leader to confirm Newmarket placings with the Richard Hannon-trained winner but having travelled exuberantly towards the rear of the field for the early part of the contest, he failed to pick up in the straight once angled wide by William Buick.
Marco Baratti's Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Metropolitan stuck to his task well to fill the bronze medal position.
"Quite often you call these horses something that they're not, because you want them to be the best horse you've trained – and quite often you are disappointed," said Hannon, who was landing the Group 1 prize for the second time having saddled Barney Roy to land the spoils back in 2017. "That's an occupational hazard. But this lad has never let me down. That one day at Doncaster (Champagne Stakes) … I still can't explain it. I don't know how we messed it up, but that's behind us now.
The winner was cut to even money (from 4s) for the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood and the Wiltshire-based handler could hardly contain his excitement for what the future holds.
He said: "He's in the Sussex (at Goodwood), he's in all those big races, and I can't wait. He's already done enough for me if he never does another… It's not about being proven right either, it's about the work that goes into these horses from everybody at home. We've been watching him all winter, this kind of makes it a shorter winter."
It was a second Royal Ascot winner for Sean Levey after he steered Heredia to success in the Sandringham Stakes for his boss two years ago and the Swaziland-born rider is epecting plenty more to come from the three-year-old when getting a better gallop to aim at.
"I would have loved to go a bit further forward early, but I couldn't risk him being a bit too competitive. Look, he had to be good today. He travelled so well; he picked up strong and was very tenacious to the line," explained Levey.
"I think once I had him out in the open, I always thought I would pick the leader up. This horse really has to have something to aim at, I think he showed that at the Curragh. As soon as I got him out, there was always going to be plenty in the tank.
"I just really hope that one day they go a really good gallop so that we get to see him really show his true potential. At the moment he's just showing how versatile he really is.
"I always said I always had great belief in the horse. I always hoped he would be that horse I've been waiting for all my career. People say to me, you remember the horse along with who rode it. It means the world to me, and everyone at home."
