IT was a case of the young and old combining for a Group 1 success in the Westminster 135th Grosser Preis von Berlin at Hoppegarten last Sunday.

Not too many flat Group 1 winners are aged seven, but Rebel’s Romance is as good as ever and, with Godolphin’s number one jockey William Buick in America on Saturday and intended to ride at Deauville on Sunday, 19-year-old Billy Loughnane teamed up with the veteran middle-distance star to record the first Group 1 success of his career.

Rebel’s Romance had won his first race in October 2020 before Loughnane had his first ride nearly two years later.

In the six-runner contest, Loughnane had the seven-year-old in second place from the off, challenged Rene Piechulek on front-running Junko from over two furlongs out and got the better of that rival by three-quarters of a length after a long duel in the final quarter mile.

Loughnane was delighted to secure a first top-level success and in his interview afterwards said: “It’s a feeling I can’t describe, a feeling of ecstasy. What a star of a horse. I’m very lucky to be riding in these colours and to have the opportunity to sit on a horse like this.

“He’s a star of a horse. Big thanks to Will [Buick]. I spoke to him last night and he told me exactly what to do.”

It was an eighth Group 1 success for Rebel’s Romance, who also landed this race in 2022 and is unbeaten in four runs in Germany.

He has now earned more than £11 million in prize money and is 5/1 joint-second favourite to win a third Breeders’ Cup Turf in November. He has also been entered in the Caulfield Cup, which would be his fourth continent to race on and attempt a Group/Grade 1 win, following wins in Germany, Dubai, Hong Kong and America.

Charlie Appleby said: “Rebel’s Romance is a rock star. It was a typical win, just guts. I think the ground would have been slow enough. We were hopeful class would get him through that.

“We’ll see where we go. We were toying with going to the Canadian International and that’s something we will take into account, very much working back from the Breeders’ Cup again.”

The victory completed a transatlantic double for Godolphin, whose El Cordobes won the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday.