The Revenant claims Queen Elizabeth II Stakes gold

The Revenant went one better than 12 months ago with a game display to claim the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.

Runner-up to King Of Change in 2019, Francis-Henri Graffard’s mud-loving gelding only made his seasonal debut two weeks ago, when winning the Prix Daniel Wildenstein for a second time.

Given a fine ride by Pierre-Charles Boudit, the 5-1 chance held the persistent challenge of the always-prominent Roseman (28-1) by a head in the Group One over the straight mile, sponsored by Qipco.

Palace Pier, the 8-11 favourite, was only third, three and a quarter lengths away, as John Gosden’s dual Group One winner was beaten for the first time in six starts. He also lost a shoe in the race.

Gosden said: “He pulled a shoe off leaving the gate. He was trying to run the whole race with one shoe off and Frankie (Dettori) said he was not able to change leads and the horse wasn’t able to handle the ground.”

A delighted Boudot said of the winner: “Today I was very confident with his trainer and the horse did it well on the track.

“He loved the ground and the trip has been perfect behind Circus Maximus. My horse was very relaxed behind him and when I asked him, he gave me a nice and long turn of foot. He has been courageous on the last furlong.

“[He is a] super tough horse. His preparation has been good with the Daniel Wildenstein. He’s courageous and he is just good.”