Kyprios turned the tables on his old rival Trawlerman to regain his crown in a pulsating renewal of the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
Aidan O’Brien’s six-year-old was the dominant force in the division when landing the two-and-a-half-mile showpiece two years ago, also triumphing in the Goodwood Cup and the Irish St Leger before a sensational 20-length victory in the Prix du Cadran.
A career-threatening injury restricted him to just two outings last season and he was beaten on both occasions, including a neck defeat to Trawlerman on Champions Day – but Kyprios reversed the form on the day that mattered most to become the first horse since Kayf Tara in 2000 to regain the Gold Cup.
Following workmanlike wins on home soil this spring at Navan and Leopardstown respectively, the chestnut son of Galileo was sent off the 11-10 favourite and always looked well positioned in behind the front-running Trawlerman and the keen-going Caius Chorister.
Ryan Moore asked the strong-travelling Kyprios to close down Trawlerman at the top of the home straight and while the latter did not go down without a fight, Moore always looked confident his mount would find enough to get the job done and he eventually did just that, with a length separating the pair at the line.
Trawlerman’s John and Thady Gosden-trained stablemate Sweet William was five lengths further back in third, with Willie Mullins’ Vauban running well for a long way and momentarily looking a danger before ultimately faltering into fourth.
Moore said: “It was smooth early, that’s where I wanted to be and then the filly (Caius Chorister) ran off with Benoit (De La Sayette) and I was having to go round her. He started travelling a bit too well too early again and I got there going very easy.
“I said to Aidan that he’s the class horse in the race and he stays the best, so I’ve just got to get it right. I didn’t get it quite right, but he still won.
“He’s an unbelievable horse. Aidan knows exactly what they need to do, he knows how to get them here better than anyone.
“It’s lovely to ride a horse like this.”
O’Brien said: “Ryan gave him an incredible ride, I’m delighted. There are incredible people around him and he’s an incredible horse.
“It wasn’t easy because he passed the second horse here last year (Champions Day) and he came back at him, I could see Ryan biding his time. It was incredible really, it’s masterful stuff, really.
“It’s not simple but this is an incredible horse, I’m delighted for everybody really.
“Ryan is a master and it was a genius ride. I could see what he was at, he wanted to be handy as he thought the pace was slow.
“He had to sit back a little as he didn’t want to get there too early, it’s tricky, it’s a fine balancing act the whole time but it was masterful.”
O’Brien paid credit to the owners, which comprise Moyglare Stud, the Coolmore partners and Westerberg.
“The owners are the ones to have the patience to let it happen and the confidence to make it happen. For us it’s just a privilege to be working with such special horses, that’s the bottom line really,” he said.
“At one stage it didn’t look like he was going to live. Then it was getting him to stand, getting him to walk, getting him to trot, getting him to canter again.
“He always had the most incredible mind and that was his power, his mind.
“I thought at every stage it was never going to happen, we gave him a chance and no one was in it for themselves. They were for him.”