Acclamation Star (28/1) was a surprise winner of the IRE-Incentive, It Pays To Buy Irish Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes at Salisbury.
Trained by James Owen and ridden by Kieran Shoemark, Acclamation Star was one of the more exposed juveniles in the Group 3 after five starts.
She contested the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket before finishing second in a nursery at the same venue and was then held at listed level at Newbury.
The field congregated hard against the stands' side rail on the testing ground and Acclamation Star was well placed at the head but the gaps began to open up behind her in the closing stages and it looked as though she might be swamped when Dark Issue and Nuit D'Eclair got racing room.
Acclamation Star, though, had other ideas and proved a most willing partner for Shoemark, keeping her rivals at bay by half-a-length and the same.
The winning jockey told Racing TV: "She's run some nice races over five and I think she's a pretty quick filly.
"The plan was to get a bit of cover but she winged the gates and was doing too much ultimately and there was no point both of us pulling!
"I let her roll on and we got that rail. When she quickened, she quickened well and I had that rail to aide us. I knew they were there the whole time but I felt like they were never gaining on us, she was really game and hit the line well."
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Shoemark was completing a double on the card having ridden Miss Miniver (11/10 favourite) in the British EBF Quidhampton Maiden Fillies' Stakes (replay below).
The winner, who holds an entry in the Group 1 Fillies' Mile, is trained by Roger Varian for owners Godolphin and went one better than on debut when a neck second to Group 3 Prestige Stakes third Coaxed at Kempton.
Shoemark was impressed with the filly, commenting: "She's got a great constitution, a great mind.
"It wasn't the plan to bounce out in front but it was evident quite quickly that I was going to have to do the donkey work and she's very uncomplicated; she's got an engine and I like her a lot.
"I felt like she was only doing enough. It can be a long way home here on this testing ground, it's pretty open, and I felt she was just looking for a bit of company, she's a classy filly. I'd say she won despite the ground and is a top of the ground filly.
"She can still fill out a little bit and will be a lovely three-year-old; her future is bright and she'll stay a mile no problem."
Ralph Beckett and Rossa Ryan had to settle for a close third with newcomer Ellavarra missing out by a neck and a neck to two more experienced rivals but Beckett had already saddled newcomers to win both divisions of the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Restricted Novice Stakes over a mile.
Diva headlines fine day for Beckett
Rock In Japan (8/1) got the better of a sustained duel with 10/11 favourite Night Star by a head in division one under Eddy Greatrex but life was much easier for Ryan in division two as Rose Moon (5/2) looked the winner from some way out, scoring by two and a half lengths and one and a quarter lengths.
Ryan was impressed, saying: "He's a big, raw sort and he took me into the race well but he probably didn't fully know when I sat into him how to get his act together and I think he'll come on quite a bit from today.
"He couldn't but impress me. I had a sit on him a week ago and I thought he was a nice horse, the piece of work he did he's come forward from and he'll come forward quite a bit from today, he'll start to learn he's a racehorse. He's got a good mind and a good future ahead of him.
"Nice horse to go to war with, especially into his three-year-old career."
The duo were at it again when the rapidly progressive Zen Diva (2/1 favourite) made light of a 10lb rise for her recent course and distance success in the European Bloodstock News EBF 'Lochsong' Fillies' Handicap doing a passable impression of the filly honoured in the race title.
Ryan pulled Zen Diva out for racing room as the leaders approached the one pole and she showed her rivals a clean pair of heels to win a shade cosily, her fourth success from only five starts in 2026.
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