Coltrane battled gamely to get his head in front of Caius Chorister and successfully defend his Longines Sagaro Stakes crown at Ascot.

The Andrew Balding-trained gelding won by four and three-quarter lengths in the 2023 edition, but was made to work all the way to fend off Sweet William and then Caius Chorister for this success.

The seven-year-old sat in behind early leader Quickthorn, but he hit the front with two furlongs to go as he contended with Sweet William.

Oisin Murphy ensured he got Coltrane’s nose in front as he and Sweet William fought for the lead.

Coltrane (7-2) showed plenty of heart as Sweet William’s challenge faded inside the final furlong, but Caius Chorister was powering home on the outside.

It looked as though the David Menuisier mare, who had a clash of heads with Trueshan at the start, was going to nick victory on the line, but Coltrane continued valiantly to win by a head.

Balding believes another tilt at next month’s Gold Cup is in order for his charge, who finished second in the race last year.

“I think there was a concern whether the fire was still there, but I think it certainly was,” he said.

“I think he was in front longer than Oisin probably wanted to be but he was really brave there at the end.

“He’s a fighter and a star really. We train horses so we can come across one like him and he keeps producing.

“Maybe the cheekpieces sparked him up today, but he really looked well and maybe he just wasn’t himself in Meydan. He’s just come to himself now and he’s a fighter.

“He loves Ascot and has run one bad race here and that’s it. We’ll look forward to coming back here in June.

“He does his own thing at home, which is not very much in the mornings. We’ll let him do his own thing and he will train himself for the Gold Cup. We did the same last year and he ran a stellar race, so we will try to do the same thing.”

Clive Washbourn, owner of runner-up Caius Chorister, hopes to fulfil his “dream” of his horse running in the Gold Cup next month.

“David’s a genius, what a run that was! We gave it to them. We’ve got to have a crack at the Gold Cup now,” he said.

“When we won the Prix Belle de Nuit at Saint-Cloud, I was a bit embarrassed after I said the King is going to have to get used to my celebrations. But I will say one thing now, he might have to.

“That was amazing and everyone says little fillies can’t beat geldings. I bred this horse and I’m so proud. It’s nothing to do with money, it’s the sheer pride of pulling it off. I’m blown away.

“If anyone is thinking of buying a horse, I’ll tell you one thing, it’s orgasmic. That last furlong was unbelievable and I thought we had got it.

“It’s a very different feeling when you breed them yourself and she’s a horse of a lifetime. A runner in the Gold Cup will be a dream for me.”