Gleneagles a class apart in St James’s

Gleneagles proved himself the leading three-year-old miler with a dominant victory in the St James’s Palace Stakes.

The dual 2000 Guineas winner completed a Group One hat-trick for the season as French 2000 Guineas winner Make Believe trailed home last in the five-runner contest.

Make Believe had made all to win at Longchamp last time out, and had been expected to adopt the same tactics in a small field, but it was Sir Michael Stoute’s lightly-raced Consort who took the field along.

Frankie Dettori set what appeared to be a steady pace from the front as Ryan Moore settled Gleneagles towards the rear and Consort was still in front inside the two-furlong marker.

Make Believe was the first to fold in the straight after finding nothing for jockey Olivier Peslier, as Gleneagles loomed up on the outside of Consort.

Moore pushed Aidan O’Brien’s horse to the front at the furlong pole and Gleneagles quickened away smartly to follow up his wins at Newmarket and the Curragh in emphatic style.

Godolphin’s Latharnach stayed on well to get past Consort near the line to claim second, but was two-and-a-half lengths adrift of the winner.

Gleneagles had not been as impressive in the Irish 2000 Guineas as he had been in the English equivalent, but he was back to his best here, helped by the faster conditions.

O’Brien, who was winning the race for the seventh time, spoke highly of Gleneagles, saying: “He’s a very, very good horse. I don’t think we’ve had a miler as good as him.”