She maintained her unbeaten record with a recent run when storming clear of a high-class field to take the Dubai Sheema Classic.

Trainer Sei Ishizaka said that Gentildonna’s main target back in Japan would be an attempt at winning the Japan Cup for the third year in a row. Her two wins in that race and her success here mean she has now passed Deep Impact to become the leading prize money winner of all time.

Runner-up Cirrus Des Aigles (39-pace adjusted 42) is a similar sort to the winner in that he needs a recent run to produce his best and, oddly enough, he’s a leading prize money winner too, having re-taken the position as top European prize money winner with this run. He produced his usual big surge but just couldn’t quite contain the Japanese mare.

You could argue that Cirrus Des Aigles is not quite the horse he was as he’s lost the last seven times he’s run in Group 1 company and is now eight years old. However, he ran as fast as he ever has when a neck second in the Champion Stakes last October and was within a point of his best here on my numbers despite covering 12 metres more ground than the winner according to Trackus data.

Third-placed Ambivalent (38-pace adjusted 41) was a huge price but she is a Group 1 winner who has shown smart form on fast ground around galloping tracks. So perhaps her big run shouldn’t have been such a surprise. If she gets her ground she should have a real chance in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh, seeing that she scored her Group 1 win over the same course.

Fourth-placed Empoli (38-pace adjusted 41) has now reached the first four in four Group 1 races. He also ran seriously well when a good second in fast time to the top-class Ivanhowe in last year’s Union Rennen and it looks like he’s grown quite a bit since last season. Some evidence for this is that he came off best in the barging match he had with Magician halfway up the straight. I doubt that would have been the case last season when he looked smaller.

His entry in the Coronation Cup looks highly significant as his trainer, Peter Schiergen, has only had one runner in that race before. This was Boreal who won in 2002. The fast ground, tight turns and small field at Epsom will suit Empoli admirably judged by his record.

Sixth-placed Magician (38-pace adjusted 41) turned into the straight in 13th place. He moved forward but was held in by Empoli and bumped with him repeatedly when trying to force his way through. He took a while to get rolling again when seeing daylight but was closing strongly in the last 75 yards.

Magician is a light framed sort who got hampered in the St James’s Palace and Killavullan Stakes as well. He’s won all his other four most recent starts. Logically he should be best in small fields where he can avoid traffic. However he did manage to win the Breeders’ Cup Turf by being brought wide of the other runners for his run. That’s clearly the way to ride him in big fields.