Audience won the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury | report and free video replay

Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Audience had never run over a mile before and it was no surprise to see Rab Havlin jump him out in the lead in the centre of the track.

Havlin ran straight whereas most of the field tacked towards the stands' side where one of the big two, Big Rock, was on the front end. Inspiral, racing in rear, was switched towards the stands' side as well, coming under pressure some way out but responding.

All the time, Audience was doing his own thing with Havlin sitting relatively still in the saddle and one by one his rivals started to send out distress signals. Havlin, himself, started to ride with more urgency as they passed the furlong marker with Audience's stride shortening.

Charyn was in hot pursuit and switched towards the centre but could never get to the leader who passed the line a length and three quarters to the good.

The progressive Charyn was, himself, six and a half lengths clear of Witch Hunter in third.

Inspiral was fourth in a race that will be remembered but perhaps not for the reasons many expected.

A delighted Havlin said: "He wasn't the one that anybody expected but he was threatening last year from the middle of the summer to the backend that he'd finally given himself the chance to get a mile; before that he wouldn't have been able to get a mile. We've run him over five furlongs and six, he was a bull in a china shop. It's been a five year project but we got there in the end.

"He does run well fresh. He's a bit of a project but he's hugely talented. You don't interfere with this horse, we let him get on with it, we've learned that over the years. He gave himself a breather when he switched leads at halfway, then at the three I asked him for more and he gave everything."

Chris Richardson, managing director of owners Cheveley Park Stud, said: "It's amazing. What a performance. These two (Audience and Inspiral) have been doing their work together. We'll talk to the family and talk to John but maybe she needs a bit further now, a mile and a quarter might just be more up her street; we saw that in the Breeders' Cup.

"I'm just so thrilled that Mrs Thompson is here to witness it."

Richard Thompson added: "We were hoping that Inspiral would win but we know that Audience is a talented horse, John has always said he had talent. He ran in a couple of Group 2s last year and when he went from the front, I could see after four or five furlongs, I thought 'he's going to win this'.

"That can happen as you know, they didn't really go after him but he's a very talented horse. Brilliant to win the Lockinge."

The result put the ante-post market for the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot into turmoil.

Audience is priced between 6/1 and a standout 16/1. Inspiral is the general favourite at 4s but as big as 11/2; Charyn can be backed between 5/1 and 8s, Big Rock's odds vary from 9/2 to 10/1 and Facteur Cheval from 7/2 to 7s.

He's a wild boy

“When you know what this horse is and what he’s done, then don’t leave him alone,” said John Gosden.

“He’s been working very well and I didn’t think Rab would be left in splendid isolation out in front, but I knew he would get a hell of a run out of him. I told Rab to go straight and he followed his line of mowing and no one came near him. It’s wonderful for Rab as he puts all the work in with him.

“He’s a wild boy, but he’s a horse with ability – look at the Kinross race, the City of York.

“He’s got solid Group form and he’s learnt to relax more with age, if you leave a horse like that alone he’s going to be very dangerous. We always knew he was going to be part of it and I thought he could maybe finish in the first four or five. As it was they ignored him and all got racing on the other side.

“The idea was he was there with Big Rock and softens up Big Rock, but he never really saw Big Rock. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and is a grand horse. Mrs (Patricia) Thompson kept him in training very kindly rather than him going to Hong Kong so he could be a lead horse for Inspiral and I think he has covered himself in glory.”

The trainer is so hopeless

Neither owner nor trainer were disappointed with the performance of Inspiral, who was fourth under Kieran Shoemark having started as the 2/1 favourite.

“The filly will come on a bundle for that, the trainer is so hopeless he couldn’t get her fit at home. I didn’t want to take her away for gallops at racecourses, that’s not her game,” Gosden said.

“She was always going to need it, but there will be another day with her and we’re on the road with her. She’s run a lovely race and has rather come across right across which is what she did in the Jacques le Marois last year with Frankie (Dettori). She’s come to make her run and has just got tired – she’s ‘blown up’ as they call it.

“In her work at home, she’s a lot older and wiser and I’m not going to tell her what she’s got to do, so she’s been quietly doing what she’s happier doing and she needed this race to bring her on for Ascot and I’m delighted with her run. She’s carrying rather a lot of condition.

“The Queen Anne would probably be the aim, as it would be for Audience as well, but talking to Mrs Thompson we would also look at the mile-and-a-quarter race (Prince of Wales’s Stakes) because when she won at the Breeders’ Cup – and I know it’s an easy mile and a quarter at Santa Anita – Frankie could not pull her up. He came back and said I think we’ve been running her over the wrong trip all the time. So we will leave our options open and see how she is over the next week.”

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