Juddmonte International Stakes report & reaction: Mostahdaf makes all under Frankie Dettori

Dettori, aboard Mostahdaf (3/1) for the first time in his career and in for the ride due to the suspension of Shadwell Estate's number one jockey Jim Crowley, was recording a record seventh career win in the Sky Bet Ebor Festival's 10-furlong Group 1, and his first since Derby winner Authorized in 2007.

And this was Dettori at his scintillating best, the soon-to-be-retired 52-year-old setting out to make all on the John and Thady Gosden-trained five-year-old and getting the fractions absolutely spot-on.

The remarkable Paddington, seeking an eighth straight win and seventh success of the season, sat in second through the early stages, Ryan Moore seemingly keen not to let Dettori dictate completely on his own terms, but try as he might, the 4/6 favourite never quite looked like reeling in the classy front-runner.

Moore switched Paddington to Mostahdaf's outside as they approached the final furlong and a half, with Nashwa (13/2) mounting her challenge towards the inside rail, but impressive Prince of Wales's Stakes hero Mostahdaf repelled them both to notch his second top-class triumph, ultimately beating stablemate Nashwa by a length, with gallant three-year-old Paddington a further neck back in third.

The only other runner in the race, Andrew Balding's Dante scorer The Foxes, was well beaten from a long way out.

Sky Bet cut Mostahdaf to 4/1 from 10/1 for the Champion Stakes at Ascot in October, with Betfair cutting him to 7/2 from 8/1 for the Breeders' Cup Turf.

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“It was a team effort, I’m very sorry for Jim that he was suspended. This is your horse, buddy!" said Dettori.

“He helped me out a lot about the characteristics of the horse. I spoke to John at length and I studied all his videos, I thought there was only one way to beat Paddington and that was to make it a proper gallop – so I did.

“Full credit to the horse, he was superb today. When you’re giving a champion three-year-old 7lbs, you want to be in front of him and not behind him! They’re going to sprint and carrying 7lbs more it’s more difficult to pass him.

“He jumped great, I was able to go my own fractions. I just waited until the two (furlong pole) and asked him to quicken, Hollie (Doyle, Nashwa) was coming on the inside, he was tremendous.

“It was a lucky ride as this is Jim’s horse, I know he was in my stable.

“To be the first man to win six Internationals I am very proud, beating the great Lester Piggott. This is my last year and to finish on a high like this is amazing.”

Dettori retires from the saddle at the end of the year and Gosden thinks he will be hard to match.

He added: “Frankie is the only man who can go to Longchamp and win from the front and have the French jockeys guessing. He’s a genius, he’s like a chameleon – he can adapt to any style.

“We’ll miss him and he’s winning a lot of big races right now, so you never know he might be back next year!”

Mostahdaf's odds for a range of races were shortened after his victory, with Gosden planning to consult with Shadwell's Sheikha Hissa before mapping out a definite target.

He said: "I’ve always thought he was a very good horse, but when he won the Neom Cup that was electric. We then stupidly tried him over a mile and a half again against the Japanese world champion (Equinox in the Sheema Classic) and got put in our box, but I think it will be 10 furlongs all the way now.

"You could probably get away with a mile and a half at the Breeders’ Cup round a few bends and down a hill, but I don’t think we’ll see that. I’ll see what the owner wants to do, she’s done wonderfully well, her father would be so proud of her and she follows them passionately.

"The Irish Champion has to be a possibility, but I always like to get home and make a decision after 10 days. Some are trying to persuade me to run him in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on the dirt, but I don’t know about that.

"I don’t think he has to have a big gap between his races it was just that he’d raced in the winter, then took on the great Japanese horse Equinox over a mile and a half, you then need a holiday. He did well for it so I thought I’d give him another."

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