Billy Loughnane landed his first Royal Ascot Group 1 win on Tuesday but was not happy with his ride.
The 20-year-old, tipped for the top since he burst on the scene as a teenager, faced one of the greatest tests of his career to date in the £700,000 St James's Palace Stakes.
The race was billed as a showdown between Loughnane's mount Bow Echo, trained by George Boughey, and Gstaad, trained by Aidan O'Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore. The pair last clashed in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket where Bow Echo was an emphatic winner from Gstaad. However Gstaad bounced back with victory in the Irish 2,000 Guineas next time out at the Curragh.
Bow Echo went off the 5-6 favourite to confirm superiority over the 2-1 Gstaad whose team had hatched a plan to land the spoils for themselves.
There was scrimmaging in the early stages before Gstaad's stablemate Puerto Rico went to the front. Still leading turning in, Puerto Rico's jockey Wayne Lordan was glancing over his shoulder looking for Gstaad and early in the straight he steered off the rail, leaving Ryan Moore with a golden highway to make his challenge.
Outside of them Loughnane was cruising along on Bow Echo and though he opened a length lead, it was being cut back all the way to the post by Gstaad where Bow Echo had his head down to secure a short head victory.
Loughnane said: "It was a very tactical race. To be honest I wouldn't put it down as one of my finest rides and the horse definitely got me out of trouble today.
"It was messy. I didn't want to go to the fence because I didn't want to make it hard. I wanted to have a smooth run but I had a horrible passage around Charlie and Godolphin's horse.
"This horse is such a superstar. I am so lucky to be part of a horse like this at the age of 20. I can't thank George, the connections, I wish the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid was here to see this as he was the apple of his eye as a two-year-old.
"It's a great day. A Group 1 winner at Royal Ascot, it really doesn't get much better."
Bow Echo will next take on his elders in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, also a likely destination for Gstaad.
O'Brien said: "It was a little bit rough early for him. He ended up back a little further than he wants to be. Going to the line he was closing and closing."
