Auguste Rodin won the Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot | report and free replay

It appeared as though everything was going to plan when Aidan O'Brien's star hit the front inside the two furlong pole but Auguste Rodin had to work harder for success than seemed likely at that point.

Pacemakers Snobbish and Hans Andersen set out to ensure a good gallop but there was a healthy gap back to the chasing pack. Hans Andersen was pulled wide in the straight to avoid trouble as he weakened and his much vaunted stablemate, who had turned in fourth, was asked to go and win the race by Ryan Moore.

However, on hitting the front he didn't appear to do a great deal, allowing Zarakem and Horizon Dore to close to his quarters passing the furlong pole but as they got to him the son of Deep Impact visibly pulled out more and re-extended his advantage to the line.

The winning margin from Zarakem was only three quarters of a length but Auguste Rodin's superiority seemed significantly greater. There was another length back to Horizon Dore in third.

Inspiral was a little easy to back as post time neared and was settled in last by Kieran Shoemark on this step back up to 10 furlongs. The top-class mare appeared to be travelling kindly in the straight but when pulled out for her effort, the response was lacking and she could only stay on at the one pace into sixth.

Joint-trainer John Gosden went on to explain that Inspiral's stamina ran out in the final furlong over this stiff 10 furlongs, concluding: "It was a stamina test today and she didn't come through it and that's not her fault."

Moore, who was completing a double on the card and brought up Royal Ascot winner number 81, said: "He's a great little horse. Okay, a few times it hasn't happened, but there have been reasons every time. The King George was maybe coming after a hard run in both Derbies, which is a hard thing to do.

"He took me there, going very well, and when I asked him, he really showed great courage. He wanted to win. He's a proper horse.

"He's a Group 1 winner at two, he won four Group 1's last year and people are always very quick to knock horses. As soon as they get beat, they want to have a go at you. Every time you send them away, they have a pop at that as well.

"He's been a real good horse and he did everything beautifully today - he deserved that."

O'Brien, for whom this was a 400th Group or Grade One triumph on the Flat, said: "I'm so delighted for the lads, he's a very special horse. He gets a mile and a half very well but when he gets to the front he waits, so I was probably giving him the wrong instructions all along. We were riding him too far back and when there was no pace, he was too far out of the race.

"We changed everything, Ryan said he was going to ride him positive from now on and engage him straight away. Honestly, I feel the blips were my fault, the instructions were wrong, and it was time to start getting it right. We saw today, when he gets to the front he waits, and then he goes again. He has a personality. Good horses, they have to develop a personality.

"And Ryan gave him a very special ride.

"He can do anything, he can go to America - it's totally dependant on what the lads want to do.

"We were very surprised when he went to the dirt how he handled it, he cruises. The great thing about him now is that he's happy to be ridden forward. Now we're more confident that we've worked him out."

Rest of the reaction

Jerome Reynier, trainer of Zarakem: “The new connections have been very kind to leave the horse with me, and on his reappearance this year he won a Group Two on heavy ground, and today he’s been second in a very hot race at Royal Ascot in a Group One on firm ground, so he can do everything.

"He’s entered in the Arc at the end of the year, because he does Longchamp so well and he seems to have plenty of stamina, because he ran on today and he’s been chasing up Auguste Rodin to the post. He’s a tough one to get, Auguste Rodin; he was a very strong contender and has plenty of international experience. For Zarakem this was his first time abroad, and a very interesting first time out of France, so it opens many, many doors, and we’ll see if we’ll be back for the King George in a few weeks time. We will see - we don’t want to rush him, and we can keep the Arc as a final target for the year.

“He’s a lovely horse. He’s ridden by a girl called Anael and she takes really good care of him, and he loves to be in good female hands because he’s a gentleman of a horse. You see the improvement in him month after month - he’s really improving mentally, and I think that was the right time to test him outside of France in a very hot race like that. I’m very happy; compared to yesterday where everything went wrong, it’s good today to have a runner that finishes on the podium.”

Representative of Patrice Cottier, trainer of Horizon Dore: “We are very pleased with the performance. He showed again he is a Group One horse and we are very happy.

"We will see the plan for the second half of the season, but maybe it will be the Champion Stakes. He’s an easy horse, more and more macho with age - he’s a super horse.”

Gosden spoke in more depth about Inspiral, saying: “She was pretty slowly away, sitting at the back of the field. They’ve gone very, very hard and I think, quite frankly, over the mile and a quarter here, she’s just been caught out for stamina.

“She’s won Group Ones over a mile and over a very easy mile and a quarter at Santa Anita and I think stamina-wise, she just got caught today. She came with a run and the last furlong was too far for her.

“A Derby winner has won it, he’s got the trip well and shown a lot of grit at the end.”

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