French raider Lazzat broke Japanese hearts as he outbattled Satono Reve in a thrilling international finish to the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.

It was Jerome Reynier’s Lazzat, who made every yard in the hands of James Doyle, who stayed on strongest in the closing stages, striking on his first start for owners Wathnan Racing at odds of 9-2 to continue a fine week for both his rider and owners.

There was drama after the finish as Lazzat unshipped Doyle as the pair returned to receive the Ascot applause, with the four-year-old running loose for some time before eventually being caught and safely returned to the stables.

Lazzat was adding a second Group One win to his tally after landing last year’s Prix Maurice de Gheest, but he had been beaten in Australia when sent on his travels at the end of the campaign.

Reynier, saddling his first Royal Ascot winner, said: “He did [win at the top level] as a three-year-old in the Maurice de Gheest in Deauville but after having been all the way to Australia and Hong Kong.

“I was a bit scared that it was going to be tough to find Lazzat the same as he was but obviously we have been trying him over a mile to open his options, but he’s a pure sprinter and we will stick to the sprinting distances over the straight courses for his future.

“That was a pretty tough challenge [from Satono Reve]. I’ve been watching all his races and he’s always coming late and he’s always running on but James had a really good feeling with the horse and when the Japanese came to him, he put his ears back and tried again and he said there was no way he was going to pass him today.”

He added: “The July Cup is coming a little quickly I guess but maybe we’ll defend his crown in the Maurice de Gheest, we’ve got the Sprint Cup and we can be back here in October because he can handle any ground. If the ground is heavy he can do it then as well.

“He’s a very good champion. Today everything went right for once and we’re happy to have a first Royal Ascot winner, especially for Wathnan and Nurlan Bizakov as a breeder. I’m very happy for the connections involved.”

Noble just Champion for Walker and Shoemark

Noble Champion provided trainer Ed Walker and jockey Kieran Shoemark with their second Royal Ascot winner in as many days after careering clear of his rivals in the Jersey Stakes.

Having successfully combined with 22-1 shot Never Let Go in Friday’s Sandringham Stakes, Walker and Shoemark teamed up with another relative outsider in Noble Champion, who was 25-1 having struggled to make an impact in Group Three and Listed company this spring.

But stepped back up in trip from six to seven furlongs for this Group Three assignment, the Lope De Vega colt flourished, racing in the slipstream of the pacesetting Spy Chief for much of the way before taking over and pulling three and a quarter lengths clear, despite hanging left late on. Favourite Comanche Brave was just under three further back in third.

“It just hasn’t panned out, he had a setback in January that messed up our prep for the Greenham,” said Walker.

“We thought he was a Guineas horse, we really believed a lot in him. We thought we’d go a sensible route and we went in a conditions race at Goodwood over a mile, there wasn’t much pace. He was keen and he just got it all wrong.

“We brought him back to six, he just shows so much speed at home – we even thought about supplementing him for the Commonwealth Cup because he has so much speed.

“Finally the trainer got it right! He’s as good a work horse as we’ve had, he’s a very impressive horse. He’s very quick with such a high cruising speed, he’s very, very smart.

“He’s driven me mad, I’m guilty of wearing my heart on my sleeve and I tell my owners if I think the horses are good, bad or ugly. I told Simon (Sadler, owner) how much belief I had in this horse, we were gutted he got beaten on debut.

“I said to Simon that if it didn’t work today, then I didn’t know what was going wrong. The ground, track, and trip was all right.”

Shoemark felt the course and distance had suited his mount well, adding: The stiff seven furlongs here at Ascot, with a nice strong pace has really seen him at his best effect. He was in a lovely rhythm and it was just a matter of time to when I pressed go, he really hit the line strong.

“It can be a lonely place in front here, with the grandstand there’s plenty to look at. He wouldn’t have been in front a lot on his own before, so he was entitled to be a little bit green, but he’s very talented.

“The yard really is flying and there is a lovely team at home at Ed Walker’s. It’s a really impressive operation. I feel very fortunate to have partnered some good horses this week.”

Spy Chief’s rider Robert Havlin was pleased with the 20-1 shot’s effort having run just three times previously.

He said: “A great run, he’s an inexperienced horse coming from a novice win at Yarmouth. He’s still learning and still needs to relax a bit. I think the more racing he does, the better he will get.”

Donnacha O’Brien said of his third-placed runner: “He ran OK, I don’t think he had any excuses, the first two pulled well clear. This is a tough place, any time you hit the board, it’s not a bad result.”