FRANKIE Dettori sprang a 25/1 surprise on Lancelot Du Lac for trainer Dean Ivory in the Qatar Stewards' Cup at Goodwood.

The popular Italian had the seven-year-old on the front end all the way and got Lancelot Du Lac close to the far rail as soon as he could.

The entire field drifted towards that side, but Dettori made the first move and the others were playing catch up and very few got into the race, including the gambled-on favourite Sir Dancealot.

The pack closed near the line, but Lancelot Du Lac was home and hosed as he landed the prestigious six-furlong handicap by three-quarters of a length from Aeolus, with Upstaging third and Growl fourth.

Dettori said: "I did not expect it, but Dean was very sweet on him. I bagged the rail, and in fairness to the horse he kept on galloping."

Ivory said: "You could see he was a little bit tired at the end, he did it the hard way but kept pulling a bit more out of the bag. It wasn't the idea necessarily to jump handy, but when the horse hits the front he just stays there lovely.

"I think with the hood on, he didn't know how far horses were behind him, it kept him up to his work. I thought the ground might be a little bit too soft for him today, but then that rain they had freshened it all up a bit."

"We'll sit tight now, after a race like that we're in no hurry whatsoever, we'll sit and put a bit back into the horse.

"There's the Ayr Gold Cup and when you see his style of running today he is up there out of trouble, which you always seem to get in these big handicaps. It sounds daft, but even at his age I'm still learning a bit about the horse."

Ed Walker, trainer of runner-up Aeolus, said: "I am just a bit gutted. He was just a bit unlucky, but he has run a blinder.

"The plan was the Wokingham, but the ground was too quick. This was Plan B and everything went right barring a few seconds when he needed daylight.

"He made up a lot of ground on the winner, but fair play to the winner he did it well in the end. Second is tough as it is the first loser."

There was, however, was a sting in the tail for Dettori, as he picked up a four-day ban for careless riding. He is suspended from August 19-22 which means he will be back for the York Ebor Festival that starts a day later.

Crystal Ocean gave Sir Michael Stoute a 10th win in the Group 3 Qatar Gordon Stakes with a taking performance in the 12-furlong contest.

The son of Sea The Stars came out on top on his first attempt on soft ground as he reversed Royal Ascot form with Khalidi in great style.

Ryan Moore had the 6/4 favourite off the pace set by Mount Moriah until the business end, where he quickened nicely to put the race to bed, seeing off Khalidi by three and a half lengths.

Crystal Ocean was slashed to 6/1 from 14/1 for the William Hill St Leger with Betfair.

Moore said: "He's a lightly-raced colt and he's progressed with every run. He'll be better as the year goes on and be better next year."

Asked about the Leger, he said: "He'll stay, but I don't really think he's a mile and six horse.

"He's got plenty of ability and he will get better next year, I don't know if he's a Leger horse. That will be for Michael to decide, he's got a couple of months to get there yet."

Stoute, though, seemed much keener on a Leger bid. He said: "He is a horse we've always liked and Ryan has always liked him to. We knew he handled soft ground as he did in the Dante. My only concern was would he handle this ground. He is very adaptable.

"We are certainly thinking about the St Leger. We will see how he comes through this.

"I said before the Dante we didn't consider him as a Derby horse as he had got to be more mature going into Epsom. He is pretty good at this trip. We may do a Conduit (did the Gordon-Leger double in 2008) and have a one off fling (at a mile and three-quarters)."

Thady Gosden, pupil assistant to his father, John, said of the runner-up, Khalidi: "Frankie (Dettori) said he ran very well but he didn't handle the ground. It was a little bit too soft for him. The plan now is to freshen him up and hopefully take him to the St Leger, all being well."

Andrew Balding's glorious week continued when the Sussex Stakes-winning trainer struck with Scorching Heat in the Qatar Stewards' Sprint Handicap.

Oisin Murphy, who picked up a ban earlier in the week, showed his confidence was not dented as he rode a cool race on the 9/2 favourite in the consolation race for the Stewards' Cup.

Scorching Heat picked up pace-setting The Wagon Wheel when he liked and shot clear to score from Tommy G (14/1), who stayed on to get with three-quarters of a length of the cosy winner at the line. There was another length back to Son Of Africa in third, with Royal Brave a head away in fourth.

Balding said: "He is a great horse. He is tough and loves this ground. He would have a chance in an Ayr Gold Cup, but he won't get in that this year but he might get in the Silver Cup now.

"I was delighted he got in the race, as I didn't for a second think he would get in it.

"He needs a strongly-run race and amazingly he has not been able to get cover before today, apart from when he won. He needs things to fall right in front of him.

"It is difficult conditions today and hard to make up ground. If they are there with a chance a furlong out it will take a good one to get past them."

EBOR POTENTIAL

Soldier In Action battled on bravely to get up in the shadow of the post to claim the Qatar Summer Handicap. The top-weight came with a rattling run in the centre of the course under Silvestre de Sousa to give trainer Mark Johnston another winner at his happy hunting ground.

Soldier In Action (11/1) snatched victory from Blakeney Point and Getback To Paris by a head and a short-head, in a thrilling finish to the mile-and-three-quarter test.

Johnston said: "I thought a furlong and a half out he had come to win, then I definitely thought he wasn't going to win it as the others picked up again in front. It is just fantastic when you get a finish like that over a mile and three-quarters.

"He will probably go to the Ebor. We don't think his best form is on firm ground, we thought the ground was a plus today.

"He took a while to recover from going over hurdles (with Nicky Henderson). He lost an awful lot of weight and it took a while to get him back on form. He is having a great season now."

Owner Alan Spence said: "I thought he was going to win quite easily a furlong and a half out, then just when he got there the others did a quick burst. I didn't think he had won by a head, I thought it was shorter.

"He is better with a bit of cut in the ground and now we just want a bit of soft ground at York for the Ebor, as that is the logical race."