Duke of Marmalade was pushed all the way before making it fourteen Group I wins this season for Irish master trainer Aidan O’Brien in the King Georg VII and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2400m) at Ascot.

After settling midfield behind the early leader and stablemate of the winner, Red Rock Canyon, Duke of Marmalade quickly seized control with a withering turn of foot with 400 metres to run and the race looked over.

However, nobody told Olivier Peslier aboard Papal Bull, with the pair descending on the 6-4 on favourite and actually heading the Ballymore star with less than 200 metres to travel.

Johnny Murtagh asked Duke of Marmalade for the supreme effort and the Danehill stallion fought strongly, actually drawing away in the last 50 metres to convincingly notch his fourth successive Group One success.

O’Brien said after the race that he expected a challenger to arrive when Duke of Marmalade surged to the lead.

“When he goes to the front he’s lazy, and Johnny gave him a marvellous ride. Johnny hadn’t planned on taking it up as early as he did, so he was ready for another horse to come at him,” O’Brien told the Racing Post. Murtagh labelled Duke of Marmalade as a “true champion” in the thrill of the moment after the race.

“He’s one of my favourites and one of the best I’ve ever ridden,” he said.

Youmzain, trained by Mick Channon was nine lengths adrift of the winner in third place, in an effort that pleased his trainer, but the riding of Frenchman Peslier drew some criticism from the former England football international.

“He has run another solid race but he didn’t get the best of luck. He got turned round sideways a furlong and a half out and if Peslier had done that in France, I know what would have happened,” he said.

In an interesting sideline, O’Brien 14th group one winner of the season leaves him only nine behind his own European record of 23 set in 2001.:kkk:  

Bookmakers in the UK have him as an odds-on chance to break Bobby Frankel’s world record of 25 Group One winners in season, with plenty of Group One races left in the northern hemisphere season.:jjjj: