Ryan Moore produced a sterling ride aboard Continuous as he came from last to first to register an emphatic victory in the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes at York.

Trained by Aidan O’Brien, the son of Heart’s Cry dead-heated for third in the Dante at the track earlier in the season and was putting his St Leger credentials to the test following a fine effort in defeat behind King Of Steel at Royal Ascot.

Sent off the 4-1 second favourite, he answered every question to throw his hat in the ring for the final Classic of the season in tremendous fashion.

Ridden with real patience by Moore as 8-11 favourite Gregory went for home early under Frankie Dettori, Continuous gradually worked his way through the gears and as Gregory’s challenge began to wain inside the final two furlongs, the Ballydoyle colt was just getting started as he powered clear of runner-up Castle Way for an authoritative three-and-three-quarter-length success.

The winner was cut to 4-1 joint favourite from 12s by Betfair for the St Leger on September 16, with the firm also easing Gregory out to 5-1 for Doncaster after John and Thady Gosden’s charge stayed on for third.

O’Brien said: “He’s a lovely horse who is progressing, he has enough class for a mile and a half and could stay further. He’s an exciting horse really.

“He handles an ease in the ground well as he has a bit of a round action, but that was fast ground there today – Ryan said it was quicker than it was at Royal Ascot – and he didn’t seem to have any problem with it.

“He came here in the Dante and needed the run very badly and ran a massive race. I said to Ryan before the race today ‘would any of those other horses have ran as well in the Dante as he did?’ and he said they wouldn’t. A little bit of class usually outs, especially if the pace is even.

“I asked Ryan about that (the St Leger trip). He said he doesn’t need a mile and six but he said you wouldn’t rule it out.”

Charlie Appleby does not view Castle Way as a St Leger candidate following his run, with an American target on the horizon now.

He said: “I’m pleased. The fractions looked very quick and William (Buick) said he was close enough but fair play to the winner, he was the fastest horse in the race.

“The main thing to take out of it is that William did say the mile and six in the Leger will probably stretch him, so where do we go next?

“I think I’ll most definitely put him on the radar for Belmont (Jockey Club Derby) where the quick ground will suit him.

“That will most likely be our next stop. He’s got a great attitude, he tries but he was beaten by a better horse today.”

John Gosden was pleased with the performance of Gregory in third, and feels the extra distance in the St Leger will be in his favour.

“We felt we couldn’t go from Royal Ascot to the Leger so we had to come here, even with a 3lb penalty,” he said.

“They went a strong pace and there were two others forcing it, but what I loved about it was that a furlong out he got going again.

“To me he’s run the perfect trial for the Leger. I did say to the owners before the race that I’d asked the course executive if they could move the stalls back to the start of the Ebor, but they wouldn’t!

“I couldn’t be more pleased as a Leger prep and you can see by the size of him he’s all about next year, one more run in the Leger and then Cup races next year.”

As Paul Hanagan bows out after a 25-year career in the saddle, we reflect on five of the dual champion jockey’s best horses:

TAGHROODA

Taghrooda won her only juvenile start and then blazed home by six lengths in the Pretty Polly Stakes to mark herself as a Classic contender. She went to post as a 5-1 shot for John Gosden in the Oaks, making easy work of a near four-length win before exploiting the three-year-old allowance to perfection to follow up in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. Narrowly beaten as the 1-5 favourite in the Yorkshire Oaks, she rounded off her career when beaten just over three lengths into third in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

MUHAARAR

The sprint king of 2015, Muhaarar’s ability was evident when winning the Gimcrack the previous season. Trained by Charlie Hills, Muhaarar won the Greenham which prompted a crack at the French 2000 Guineas, but after failing to stay he dropped back to six furlongs and mopped up the Commonwealth Cup, July Cup and Prix Maurice de Gheest before signing off with a British Champions Sprint triumph.

WOOTTON BASSETT

Wootton Bassett was a landmark horse for the Paul Hanagan-Richard Fahey axis, providing the pair with their first Group One success in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. That victory capped a five-race unbeaten juvenile campaign for the colt, which also included a couple of richly-endowed sales events at Doncaster and York along the way. While he did not win at three, he has gone on to prove a stallion revelation with a welter of Group One winners and a current stud fee of €150,000.

SANDS OF MALI

Winner of the 2017 Gimcrack Stakes, he took the Sandy Lane and finished second in the Commonwealth Cup the following spring, but by the time midsummer came around, it looked as though he had posted his best as he turned in a couple of lacklustre runs. However, soft ground at Ascot in the autumn saw him roar back to form and defy his odds of 28-1 to win the British Champions Sprint on what was his final run in Hanagan’s hands.

MAYSON

At his peak in his four-year-old season, Mayson won the Abernant and Palace House Stakes on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile before successfully switching to the July course to land the July Cup later in the campaign. He had only one more run after that, when edged by a neck in the Prix de l’Abbaye at ParisLongchamp, completing a fine rise through the ranks to bow out with a rating of 119.

Equilateral, running in his first handicap in the UK, defied top weight in the Sky Bet And Symphony Group-sponsored opener at York.

Trained by Charlie Hills, the sprinter is now in the veteran stage as an eight-year-old but is clearly still a force to be reckoned with.

While he had run in handicaps before, they had only been in Meydan, where he won the same event two years running in 2020 and 2021.

Since then he has spent his career dining at the top tables, running in Pattern races with his career-best effort coming behind stablemate Battaash in the 2020 King’s Stand when second.

He had run well earlier in the season to be second in both the Temple and Achilles Stakes at Haydock but was last of 11 at Goodwood behind Highfield Princess last time out.

In a typically helter-skelter affair, York specialist Copper Knight made a bold bid but was swamped close home, with Equilateral and Jamie Spencer beating Alligator Alley by a neck with a head back to Jm Jungle.

Hills said: “He’s a yard favourite, he’s always got his head over the door and the day he does leave will be very sad.

“He loves Dubai, he ran well this year without getting his head in front, hopefully that will give him confidence to go forward and go back into Group class. He loves that fast ground.

“He’s in the Flying Five at the Curragh and that is a definite option. If Khaadem can win a Group One at 80-1 then this fellow can!”

Indian Run announced himself as a youngster on the rise with a stylish display in the Tattersalls Acomb Stakes at York

Trained by Eve Johnson Houghton, he was only third on debut at Newbury, but advertised his potential with a clinical win at Ascot next time.

Always travelling strongly on the outside in the hands of Danny Tudhope, he eased to the head of proceedings heading up the Knavesmire straight and the son of Sioux Nation still had plenty up his sleeve at the business end of the contest to repel the challenge of Ballymount Boy as he finished the Group Three contest full of running.

Owned by the Bronte Collection, made up of connections of leading owner Steve Parkin and including England cricket star Jonny Bairstow, the 17-2 scorer could now be set for bigger things and was trimmed to 12-1 from 16s by Paddy Power to follow in the footsteps of last year’s Acomb winner Chaldean and head for Newmarket’s Dewhurst Stakes.

William Haggas’ Relief Rally will be tested over six furlongs in the Sky Bet Lowther Stakes at York after an impressive string of five-furlong performances.

The daughter of Kodiac has been beaten just once in four runs, winning a novice and a conditions race before stepping up to Group Two level in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.

There she was beaten just a nose by the American challenger Crimson Advocate in a busy field of 26 runners.

She lost little in defeat and was a winner again when heading to Newbury for the Super Sprint, a race she won by three lengths under regular rider Tom Marquand.

The same jockey will receive the leg-up on the Knavesmire, where Relief Rally steps up to six furlongs for the first time against a group of eight rivals for the Group Two Lowther.

Trainer William Haggas said: “She’ll run a good race. She’s a lovely filly – very fast, very able, goes on any ground.

“She should get the trip – I think she’ll enjoy the trip.”

Relief Rally will face Andrew Balding’s Flora Of Bermuda, a Dark Angel filly last seen winning the Alice Keppel at Goodwood by a convincing four lengths.

Prior to that the grey was sixth of 26 in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot, where she was the first home in the group on the far side as the race split into three bunches across the track.

“She won well at Goodwood in different ground conditions, we’re looking forward to seeing her over six furlongs and she seems in great form,” said Balding.

“You never quite know until you try, but it’s a nice race for her and the timing is right.

“The draw was a factor there (at Ascot) but it won’t be here, it’s a smaller field.

“Hopefully we’ll get a fair race and fingers crossed she runs well.”

Also well-fancied is Aidan O’Brien’s Cherry Blossom, a No Nay Never filly with form over six furlongs as she won a Curragh maiden over the trip by five lengths earlier in August.

Prior to that she notably made her debut in Listed company, finishing fourth in the Marwell Stakes when beaten only a length and a quarter.

“We started her off in a Listed race and she ran well,” said O’Brien.

“She’d taken a big step forward from that and we’ve always liked her. Any ease in the ground would be an advantage to her.”

Charlie Appleby and Godolphin have a runner in Star Of Mystery, winner of the Listed Empress Stakes and second in the Duchess of Cambridge at Newmarket’s July Cup meeting.

Karl Burke, who was victorious last year with Swingalong, has two chances with Beautiful Diamond and Dorothy Lawrence.

Beautiful Diamond was third in the Queen Mary when racing alone behind the leading duo, prior to which she was a decisive winner of a Nottingham maiden.

Dorothy Lawrence has more racing experience having run four times, including a good course effort when second in the Marygate by half a length in May.

Following that performance she was third at Chantilly and then won for the first time in an Ayr maiden last month.

Running in the same Clipper Logistics silks for Michael Bell will be Queen’s Guard, who comes into the race having won a Yarmouth maiden last time, with Irish trainer Paddy Twomey represented by Airlie Stud Stakes second Gunzburg.

Clive Cox will saddle Symbology, a winner over course and distance on debut before finishing third in the Princess Margaret at Ascot.

Prince Khalid Abdullah – owner of such superstars as Frankel, Dancing Brave, Zafonic and Enable – has been posthumously inducted into the Qipco British Champions Series Hall of Fame.

Prince Khalid is just the second person to be recognised within the Hall of Fame’s Special Contributor category, following in the footsteps of the late Queen, who was inducted in 2021.

He was chosen by an independent panel of industry experts in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the sport, his achievements through his breeding and racing operation Juddmonte leaving a lasting legacy, its champions far too many to mention but also including Warning, Arrogate, Rainbow Quest, Dansili and Kingman and many others.

Prince Khalid’s induction will be officially marked through a special presentation moment at York on Wednesday, on the same day as the Juddmonte International, a race the organisation has supported since 1989.

Douglas Erskine Crum, chief executive of Juddmonte, said: “Prince Khalid was an owner-breeder like no other, with his numerous cherished champions, including perhaps the greatest thoroughbred of them all in Frankel.

“Through his racing and breeding operation, Juddmonte, the Prince has left a legacy which, now under the direction of his sons, Prince Fahad, Prince Saud and Prince Ahmed, continues to have a massive influence on the sport globally, at the same time as giving great pleasure and entertainment to his family.

“Prince Khalid would have been very pleased to be recognised by the British horse racing industry in this way and, on behalf of his whole family, I thank British racing and the Qipco British Champions Series Hall of Fame for this exceptional accolade.”

Trained by the late Sir Henry Cecil, Frankel won all 14 of his races, including 10 at Group One level which featured the Juddmonte International.

“He’s the best I have had. I am lucky to have this horse,” Prince Khalid would say of the colt in a rare interview, flashing his warm smile in between questions.

“Let us hope another like him comes along in the future,” he added.

York’s flagship meeting has plenty in store as the racing world descends on the city for the Sky Bet Ebor Festival.

The headline race on the opening day of the four-day event is the Juddmonte International, a Group One contest that is one of the highlight of not only the Ebor fixture but of the whole Flat calendar.

This year’s race has attracted a field of just four, but among them is arguably one of the best and most popular horses in training in Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington.

The colt has won a string of Group One events that includes the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the St James’s Palace Stakes, the Coral-Eclipse and the Sussex Stakes and now aims to add a fifth success at the top level to an already stellar CV.

He will face John and Thady Gosden’s Mostahdaf, a four-length winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, plus his stablemate Nashwa and Andrew Balding’s Dante hero The Foxes.

“It looks a fascinating renewal, Paddington is seeking a fifth successive Group One and he’s taking on Mostahdaf, who was so impressive at Royal Ascot,” said William Derby, York’s chief executive and clerk of the course.

“I think they’ve won something like 14 Group races between them and the filly, Nashwa, adds a different dimension and of course The Foxes was so impressive in the Al Basti Equiworld Dante – it’s an interesting shape to the race and it’s filled with quality.”

On Thursday there is a superb race in prospect in the Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks, with 10 high-quality fillies declared including Irish Oaks heroine Savethelastdance and Bluestocking, runner-up at the Curragh.

Al Husn, successful in the Nassau Stakes, joins the fray, as does Ribblesdale Stakes winner Warm Heart and Middleton Stakes victor Free Wind.

“I’m delighted, especially as it’s Pertemps first sponsorship of the Yorkshire Oaks and it’s such a fascinating contest,” said Derby.

“The first two in the Irish Oaks take on the older horses, it looks really exciting. Al Husn is a Group One winner from Goodwood and it looks a real highlight of Ladies Day at the Ebor Festival.”

The Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup promises to be a compelling renewal as many of the Goodwood Cup cast reassemble on the Knavesmire, including runaway winner Quickthorn and the Ascot Gold Cup champion Courage Mon Ami.

“It could be a Goodwood Cup rematch! I’m delighted that we have the Gold Cup winner from Royal Ascot looking like he’s coming, that division looks really open post Stradivarius so it will be interesting to see how it shapes up,” Derby said.

“Quickthorn did a similar job in the Lonsdale last year as he did at Goodwood so it will be interesting to see if they let him get an easy lead this time around.”

On the same day the five-furlong Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes is a race worth anticipating, with John Quinn’s locally-trained supermare Highfield Princess bidding to retain the title she won 12 months ago.

She is joined by a host of Northern-based rivals including the two-year-old Big Evs, Mick Appleby’s Royal Ascot and Goodwood star who was supplemented for the race following the latter of those triumphs.

Derby said: “In the Coolmore Nunthorpe Highfield Princess is a real local favourite, she’s trained 10 or 12 miles from the track and she won it last year as part of a hat-trick of Group Ones.

“The interesting addition is the two-year-old Big Evs, with a huge weight advantage, who tries to be the first two-year-old since Kingsgate Native in 2007 to overhaul his elders.

“It looks a really interesting race with lots of Yorkshire strength as well as the rest of fastest horses in the country.”

The final day of the meeting is the home of the valuable City of York Stakes and the namesake of the fixture, the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap, a wide-open contest held on what will likely be a final visit to York for the retiring great of the game that is Frankie Dettori – who also happens to be last year’s winner.

“We’ve got the Sky Bet City of York Stakes as well for £500,000, it is the most valuable Group Two and we’re really trying everything to see if that can be upgraded to Group One status,” said Derby.

“The Sky Bet Ebor is really open, as you’d expect for such a high value, highly-rated handicap. Twenty-two runners and each you could make a case for!

“It’s Britain’s richest Flat handicap and it looks really interesting as to whether Real Dream for Sir Michael Stoute can make amends for us all missing out on poor Desert Crown – that would be an amazing end to the week.

“It will also probably be Frankie Dettori’s last raceday at York so we’ll be looking forward to celebrating that. There’s a great deal to look forward to.”

Paddington continues his journey to superstardom in a Juddmonte International Stakes which may be short on numbers, but is bristling with quality at York on Wednesday.

The Group One contest has been won by some of the real greats and this year sees Aidan O’Brien’s all-conquering three-year-old up against a thriving Royal Ascot winner, a Classic-winning filly who cannot be dismissed lightly and a course-and-distance scorer yet to reach his ceiling.

It has been a phenomenal rise to the top for Paddington, who was competing in handicap company at the beginning of the season but has progressed through the ranks to become a multiple Group One winner and one of the best colts in training.

Having extended his winning run to seven in the Sussex Stakes when showcasing his dominance over a mile, the son of Siyouni now faces his toughest cast at 10 furlongs as he bids to join other Ballydoyle giants on the Knavesmire roll of honour.

Should Paddington be victorious, he would gain an automatic entry into the Breeders’ Cup Classic, a race O’Brien did not dismiss when speaking after the Sussex Stakes and in which he went so close with Giant’s Causeway, winner of the Juddmonte International in 2000.

“He’s an amazing horse really and all he’s done is progress with each race,” O’Brien said.

“There’s nothing much else I can say about him, every time we’ve asked him a question he keeps coming up with it.

“Everything has gone well with him since his last run. The ground is fine and we know he stays the trip.

“He went to the Coral-Eclipse for his first run over a mile and a quarter, so this is a little bit further on a flatter track.

“It will be interesting to see and we’ll take it race by race with him at the moment.”

Frankie Dettori is locked with Lester Piggott on five race victories and will get one final opportunity to become the leading rider as he deputises for the suspended Jim Crowley aboard John and Thady Gosden’s Mostahdaf.

The Italian last tasted success in the contest aboard his Derby hero Authorized in 2007, but it could prove worth the long wait as he links up with a Royal Ascot winner at the peak of his powers.

John Gosden said: “The plan has always been to come here after Royal Ascot. There’s no change in Plan A, it was always to give him the time.

“He benefited from time between Saudi Arabia and running in Dubai through to June and, again, we’ve taken a similar spacing with him. He’s fine.”

A return to a mile and a quarter saw Mostahdaf thrive in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes where he romped to an imperious four-length triumph over a stellar cast and he has optimum yardage once again as he bids to give owners Shadwell back-to-back wins in the race following Baaeed’s memorable success 12 months ago.

“If I’m honest I was a bit surprised to see him win quite like that, but I probably shouldn’t have been after the way he won in Saudi earlier this year. He was very impressive there and really quickened,” explained Angus Gold, racing manager for the owners.

“I thought he ran well in the Sheema Classic at Meydan too, where Equinox just killed him off the bend and he didn’t get home, but I was still surprised to see just how well he was travelling against a proper Group One field at Royal Ascot, and just how well he quickened.

“I’d probably underestimated him, and it was great to see.”

He added ahead of the Qipco British Champions Series showpiece: “Frankie has had a sit on the horse. It was nothing testing, but he seemed very happy and John and his team were happy too.”

Mostahdaf is joined in the select quartet by stablemate and last year’s Prix de Diane heroine Nashwa, who excelled in the Falmouth Stakes on her penultimate start and wasn’t disgraced when defending her Nassau Stakes at Goodwood most recently.

“The slow pace didn’t really suit her in the Nassau Stakes and the ground was not entirely to her liking,” said Gosden senior.

“But she’s a nice filly and it’s important to run in races of this nature.”

As usual, Hollie Doyle partners Nashwa, and she is full of hope.

“I’m always delighted to be getting back on Nashwa and I thought it was a solid run at Goodwood considering the slow pace and not very nice ground,” she said.

“They had an easy time on the front end and Nashwa moved up like the best filly in the race, but she’d possibly been further back than ideal on that ground, which probably blunted the turn of foot she showed in the Falmouth.

“She takes her races very well, and I’m hearing good reports from home through Teddy Grimthorpe (owner Imad Al Sagar’s racing manager).”

Andrew Balding’s Dante winner The Foxes completes the line-up with connections seeking an upset at a venue where he has proven form.

“The others may be proven at a higher level, but I do feel The Foxes is an improving horse and we haven’t seen the best of him yet,” said Alastair Donald, racing manager for owners King Power.

“It looks like he’ll get his preferred conditions of fast ground and we know he likes the course and distance. It might end up being a trappy race and, you never know, it’s worth being there.

“I think if there was a slow pace, which there might be, that would suit us as well, and you have to be excited about taking them on.”

Grand Alliance opened up a new range of options when going down gallantly to Sober in the Prix Kergorlay at Deauville on Sunday.

The Charlie Fellowes-trained four-year-old split the two best stayers in France with Prix Maurice de Nieuil winner The Good Man back in third.

Despite being a half-brother to top seven-furlong specialist Dutch Connection, the gelding, who was bred by owners Paul and Susan Roy, now looks to have found his niche.

“He ran very well. In fairness, we stepped him up in trip on the advice of Ryan Moore after he had only ridden him once and as Ryan so often is, he was right,” said Fellowes.

“We always thought he was very ground dependent but going over two miles, he can run round in third gear rather than fifth.

“Sober and The Good Man are the two best stayers in France and he’s split them. The ground drying out probably just suited Sober more than us.

“Looking at his pedigree, you wouldn’t think he would stay a yard further than a mile, but the staying trips seem to suit him and it’s opened up a load more doors.

“There’s obviously the Cadran (September 30) and the Doncaster Cup (September 15) but that is not too far apart, so it will be one or the other on the way to Ascot.

“That’s two and a quarter miles at Donny, but Ryan suggested it and it makes sense as he’s won there before, it’s left-handed and Flat, so it could well be Donny and then Ascot on Champions Day.

“With the Prix Royal-Oak being two-five, that might just be stretching him a bit too far, but hopefully his owners can now have some fun with him.”