The son of Sea The Stars just failed to reel in Godolphin’s Secret State in the King George V Stakes at Ascot but it was Deauville Legend’s turn this time, to fend off the challengers. Having travelled strongly under Daniel Muscutt, Deauville Legend took up the running with just over a furlong to go and toughed it out in the final 200 yards from the fast-finishing Al Qareem (2^nd) and Walk Of Stars (3^rd).

James Ferguson, who said: “He travelled well. He had come on for that run at Ascot. I thought Danny gave him a cool ride and he stayed every yard of the trip.

“I’m just so grateful to the owner (K K Ho). He is a huge international owner who has been a big supporter of mine pretty much since I’ve started. We will just get back and have a chat with the owner and see what the plan is. I don’t want to put my thoughts into one race at the moment. We’ve obviously got Goodwood to look at and there is also York. There are plenty of good opportunities.

“I would say he was a little unlucky at Ascot but also that he was beaten by a very good horse. When it is a photo, it could go either way. I’m not too bothered about it now. I was gutted after Ascot, but I’m just delighted now.

“Credit to the team back at home. He stayed every yard of the trip, but I still think he has the speed to go a mile and a half. I’ve not had a massive chat with Danny since, but I would be interested to see what he says.

“We could go travelling as he is pretty straightforward. He is not a horse that I would have said would have been good at travelling early in his career. He is maturing with every race, and I couldn’t be prouder of him.”

Successful jockey Daniel Muscutt, who got married at the weekend and lives in nearby Cheveley, said: “He found a nice rhythm from the gate. He is pretty uncomplicated in the race the hardest part was getting him in the stalls, but he seems to be getting better each start.

“I was mindful the pace did drop off halfway. He is a horse with a big stride and that is a key asset of him. I could sense Ryan (Moore, rider of 9-4 Favourite Zechariah) making headway into the race and I didn’t want to get caught behind Owen Burrows horse (Green Team).

“I knew Al Qareem would keep going and I used that a bit of a target, but I picked him up nicely going into the dip and my guy lengthened away nicely. He hit the rising ground strong and stuck at it really well when they came back to fight him towards the end. He was really sticking his neck out so he might have been just looking for a bit of company.

“That would be the biggest winner of my career to date, and it is so nice to do it for James who is a big supporter of mine as is the owner. It is great to do it at my home track too.”