AS predicted beforehand, the Group 2 Qatar Prix Foy was run at the kind of funereal pace that makes drawing any firm conclusions an absolute minefield.

The winning time was eight and a half seconds slower than Mogul, which is the equivalent of over 40 lengths, and it equated to little more than a stiff morning workout: potter along for a while and then sprint for the final quarter mile.

Nevertheless, the result will have brought a degree of satisfaction, not to say relief, to Aidan O’Brien and his team, as Anthony Van Dyck made all the running and showed good resolution to hold off the persistent thrust of Stradivarius by a short neck. For this was the 2019 Investec Derby winner’s first win in eight starts since that classic success.

He has often run well in the meantime, notching two seconds and two thirds, but has also thrown in some stinkers, such as in last year’s King George at Ascot and in the Hong Kong Vase last December.

On both those occasions he was tried with headgear, so it was encouraging to see him really stick his neck out this time.

His jockey, Mickael Barzalona, said: “When Stradivarius came to me my horse responded really well – he’s obviously got a bit more speed than I had imagined. I had a bit of trouble getting him to stretch out but once he sensed Stradivarius attacking he pulled away again.”

Of late, his better efforts, including when second to Ghaiyyath in the Coronation Cup, have tended to come following a lay-off, but there is five weeks before his probable next start, the Caulfield Cup in Australia, and the change of scenery down under may well do him good.

Owner-breeder Bjorn Neilsen was present and did his best to hide his disappointment at Stradivarius’s defeat, saying: “They have walked and then sprinted and Frankie [Dettori] told me that in hindsight he should have made the running.”

And trainer John Gosden, who was watching on television from Newmarket, was notably upbeat, saying: “I my view that was a good trial for the Arc as he has not had a hard race. It’s the first time that he’s run abroad and he can be a bit of a show-off, so it was important to find out how he dealt with the travel and give him a feel of the track. He did get a bit colty beforehand but overall I thought that he behaved well.”