Mission Central won the international battle of speedsters in the King Charles III Stakes to give Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore the full set of Group Ones at Royal Ascot.
As the field approached the final stages it looked as though Australia was going to land the prize, with Overpass and 2024 Asfoora leading the charge to the line.
But the three-year-old Ballydoyle gelding, a 14-1 shot, swooped fast and late on the stands side rail to deny French raider Rayevka by a head. Overpass held on to make the podium in third place, three-quarters of a length away, as O’Brien moved ever closer to a career century of winners at the Royal meeting.