Bacio blazes a trail to win York's Nunthorpe Stakes

Wesley Ward had hit the post with both Acapulco and Lady Aurelia in the past but the Keeneland-based trainer finally got his hands on the Nunthorpe prize as ace sprinter Bacio blazed a trail on the Knavesmire; Arapaho Gold takes Gimcrack Stakes honours at York

American raider Bacio blitzed his rivals from the front to provide Wesley Ward with a first victory in the Coolmore City Of Troy Nunthorpe Stakes at York.

While the popular Keeneland-based trainer has enjoyed 13 winners at Royal Ascot, success on the Knavesmire has proved elusive, having saddled Acapulco to finish second in 2015 and come even closer two years later through Lady Aurelia, with Frankie Dettori memorably celebrating passing the post only to find he had actually been beaten a nose by Marsha.

Bacio was the 3/1 favourite to go one better under Juan Hernandez following a brilliant victory in the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the Royal meeting in June and pre-race concerns about the rain-softened ground soon proved unfounded as the three-year-old flew out of the starting stalls.

He had most of his rivals struggling to keep up from halfway and never really looked in any danger of being reeled in, passing the post a length and a quarter clear of Starlust.

No sooner had Hernandez piloted an aeroplane up the York straight he had to run back to the weighing room as he needed to make a sharp exit, with a 6.30pm flight back to America from Heathrow to Los Angeles ahead of the Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

To make sure he made that flight, Hernandez first had to take a helicopter ride from the middle of the Knavesmire to Heathrow and he did not have a minute to spare.

While running back for a brief presentation of the trophies from the Queen, he said: "The horse was giving everything and he'd trained really good.

"He shipped really well, I know a lot of people were worried about the ground for him but he didn't know that.

"He ran great, he broke out of the gate really well, really sharp and he was ready to go. When the gate opened, he was all fire. He was trying to go too early, but I was able to take him back a little bit and save him for the last part.

"He won the race from the gate. Everyone here has done such a great job with the horse. I'm really happy, this race is for America and all my family. Thank you guys!"

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Arapaho Gold stretched his unbeaten record to four with victory in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes.

The Michael Dods-trained gelding won a couple of low-key races at Thirsk either side of being withdrawn after playing up in the stalls at Beverley, since when he had successfully graduated to Listed company in the Rose Bowl at Newbury.