THE Queen's Dartmouth finished a fading fourth as Idaho claimed top honours in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Dartmouth carried Her Majesty's silks to a memorable victory in the Group 2 contest 12 months ago and was the 9/4 favourite to repeat the feat in the hands of Ryan Moore. For much of the mile-and-a-half journey everything seemed to be going according to plan, with Dartmouth getting a nice lead from the front-running Dal Harraild.