Field of Gold slammed his rivals in the St James's Palace Stakes to establish himself as the best three-year-old miler around.
Irish 2000 Guineas winner Field of Gold was up against 2000 Guineas winner Ruling Court - the colt who had beaten him half a length at Newmarket - and French 2000 Guineas winner Henri Matisse, but he was well on top under Colin Keane.
Field of Gold, the 8/11 favourite, scored by three and a half lengths from a staying-on Henri Matisse, with Ruling Court - running here having been a late non-runner in the Derby - never threatening in a laboured third.
He was a fourth winner of the St James's Palace Stakes for the Gosden stable which first struck in the race in 2014 with Field of Gold's sire, Kingman.
There was plenty of debate following the 2000 Guineas about whether the fast-finishing Field of Gold would have won had he been ridden closer to the pace or asked for his effort sooner, but he gained his revenge in emphatic fashion at Royal Ascot and left little doubt about his status at the head of the division.
Always travelling well, and notably better than Ruling Court who was pushed along turning for home, Field of Gold moved up menacingly at the two-furlong pole and quickly settled matters, shooting well clear of his rivals.
The advantage was reduced slightly inside the final furlong but he was never in any danger and ran out a dominant winner.
'Best I've ever sat on'
Keane had taken over from Kieran Shoemark in the saddle at the Curragh - where Field of Gold was an easy winner - and had subsequently been confirmed as retained rider for owners Juddmonte.
A delighted Keane said: "Good horses make it look easy. It was a very good renewal of the race. He was very good at the Curragh and he was very good again today.
"I was happy enough beside the three main rivals and if anything they [the front-runners] didn't take us long enough into the race.
"He's a good horse - the best I've ever sat on."
Sussex Stakes a potential option
John Gosden, who trains Field of Gold in partnership with son Thady, said: "That was a great performance. Oisin [Murphy] did a nice job doing an even pace [on Windlord]. Colin had a lot of horse and, for a second, I thought, ‘Whoops, this is Ascot – it climbs all the way to the finish line, and we’ve gone a bit soon’. I didn’t watch him, I looked back – you always have to look back for the dangers, and fortunately, none was coming.
“Field Of Gold had always impressed as a two-year-old, but he was a big boy and slightly outgrew himself. We ran him in France, which was a mistake in the end. It wasn’t the ground. He was too free in front and didn’t finish up. We should have run him in the Dewhurst, I regret that.
“Then this year he has been exemplary in everything he has done. Look, he is a pleasure to train because he’s a pretty laid-back character, which is very useful. It was never the plan to go to Ireland, it became the plan, so he’s had a trial, two Guineas and this. It’s a lot of racing and we’re not even beginning to be halfway through the season.
“Maybe we will freshen and go to the Sussex, something like that. I think if he hadn’t run in Ireland, I would have probably been keen to go to the Eclipse. But when they win like that, they make it look easy, but they are taking a lot out of themselves, so I wouldn’t want to be seen as someone trying to run him back in the Eclipse quick off this.”
Ruling Court to step up in trip
There were no excuses from Ruling Court's trainer Charlie Appleby who said: "William [Buick] said he was never really travelling comfortably and at this level you need to get up there and travel on the bridle to give your horse a breather and go through the gears at the business end."
Appleby added: "We were prepping to go straight to the Derby and as you know we withdrew on the day. It's never ideal to have to regroup and head here, but I don't think that was the undoing of what we saw today. I'm happy he's pulled up fine and the one thing we'll be doing from here is stepping up in trip.
"It might be too soon to be jumping on and saying we'll be looking at an Eclipse, but working back from the Juddmonte will be the most likely target."
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