Paul Howling enjoyed his taste of the big time as his star horse Shamrock City took care of one Henry Cecil's big guns at Newmarket today.
The trainer was securing a first Listed success thanks to his colt's defeat of Subtle Power in the Charles Hiedsieck Champagne Fairway Stakes.
Shamrock City, given a tactically astute ride by the in-form Philip Robinson, made all the running and defeated Subtle Power by one and a half lengths.
'I've always thought so much of this horse but things have not always gone right for him this season until now,' he said.
'At the start of the campaign the soft ground was against him in the Craven Stakes then he had a bad draw in the Guineas.
'But he showed what he was capable of when finishing fourth in the Dante.'
Shamrock City is entered in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot but it is unlikely that he will dropping back to a mile now.
Instead the colt is earmarked for a one and a half mile Listed race at the Ascot Heath meeting on Saturday week.
May King Mayhem won the ladies' version of the Derby for the second running when obliging in the opener.
Like the previous year, the 7-2 favourite was ridden to victory by Carol Williams in the NGK Spark Plugs Ladies Derby.
Williams, the wife of jockey Tyrone Williams, put up an impeccable display to register the 15th success of her career.
Winning trainer Annabelle King said: 'He's an amazing horse - only knee high to a grasshopper and every day he accompanies my little boy Oliver on his pony.
'The sheikhs can't win two Derbys running and we may as well come back next year to try to win it for a third time.'
Barry Hills has been going through a quiet spell but he still managed to take his tally to 21 when Sir Ferbet, unlucky in running at York last time, made amends in the Breckland Bingo & Social Club A Run For Your Money' Handicap.
After the reverse of 11-8 chance Subtle Power, there was another result for bookmakers when the well-touted Rasha's Realm (5-6) could only finish second to Millenium Princess in the EBF Frank Butters Maiden Stakes.
There was another pleasing outcome for the layers when Mynah popped up at 33-1 in the Cecil Boyd Rochfort Maiden Stakes.
