Dual Derby winner Lambourn made a winning return to action in the Deepbridge Huxley Stakes at Chester.
Ryan Moore pushed the 6/4 favourite to the front after half a furlong and he was to stay there despite being niggled along for much of the contest.
Bay City Roller (9/2) looked a big threat when alongside and on the bridle under a red-hot Oisin Murphy before the final turn, but the winner dug deep and fended him off to score by a neck.
He was cut to 10/1 from 14s by Paddy Power and Sky Bet for the Coolmore Coronation Cup at Epsom next month.
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“He won the Vase well here last year so we knew he’d go around this track. He's a Derby winner at Epsom, an Irish Derby winner, carried a penalty in the Voltigeur at York and things didn’t work out for him there and ran in the Leger where he probably didn’t stay," Moore told ITV Racing.
“So it’s nice to bring him back and go back in trip. He’s had a long time off and it’s hard for a horse to drop back from a mile-and-six to a mile-and-a-quarter. You’d be happy with him.
“He was kind of having a laugh the whole way around there really and I didn’t get anywhere near the bottom of him. He gets a mile-and-a-half but I don’t think he wants to go any further."
Kevin Buckley, representing the winning owners said: “That was class. Ryan is genius and a true professional. He was fantastic.
"I couldn’t be happier. We’ve been fortunate enough to have lots of winners here but that’s the first time we’ve won the five pattern races at the meeting in the same year. It’s quite a special day."
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