Talk Of New York (3/1) continued his ascent to stardom with a dominant victory in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday for Charlie Appleby and Godolphin.

Covered up in midfield, Talk Of New York made smooth headway to challenge at the two-furlong pole and readily put daylight between himself and his 10 rivals.

Ten Bob Tony (7/1) and Rayif (10/1) closed the deficit towards the line but never looked like getting there, going down by a length and a quarter and a neck. The 7/4 favourite Gstaad was well-beaten in eighth.

Talk Of New York has gradually climbed the ladder this year, with today’s success coming on the back of impressive victories at listed and Group 2 level, in addition to a third in the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Appleby said: “I am delighted with the way the horse has matured. First of all, I want to give Maurizio [Pasquale] a lot of credit for this horse. Talk Of New York has been a challenge for everybody. Early on in his career, he was very headstrong, and Maurizio has always had a lot of faith in this horse. He told me back in the spring, ‘Charlie, he is one of the best three-year-olds I have sat on’.

“All the team have done such a great job with him. What I loved today, and what I saw at Newmarket, is the way he is maturing mentally. He walked around the paddock today like a proper old horse, whereas earlier in his career he would get a bit on his toes, and you never like to see that too much when you are coming into these bigger events.

“The pace was there, Will got a lovely slipstream into it, and I could see when he moved over to the right that he had plenty of horse. He was just looking for an angle to have a crack at them. Once he hit the front, I was confident he would keep on galloping out. In time, he might get further.

“He is a horse who came in with a lot of natural ability, and the team has done a fantastic job of nurturing him in the right way. As always, I can only thank His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and Team Godolphin for giving us the opportunity to take our time with him. Thankfully, he has repaid everybody.”

He added: “Belmont next year… I think it would be quite apt if he could go round there at a mile and have a crack at it.”

William Buick said: “Talk Of New York is a very smart horse. Credit to Charlie and the team, they have done a great job with him. He has been a slow learner, but he is really quite good, and we are starting to see him reach his full potential.

“Champions Day is fantastic. There are 30-odd thousand people here today, it is a beautiful day, the ground is perfect, and this is what it is all about: very competitive racing. It is hard to win, so we have to enjoy it when we do.”

Ed Walker said of Ten Bob Tony: “I am insanely proud of him. He has been so consistent recently. Another huge run today – he loves it here, and Kieran has given him a great ride. I saw him tracking the winner, and he just nicked two lengths off us with more of an instant turn of foot. Then Ten Bob Tony was closing all the way to the line but just did not quite have that gear. It was a huge run, and we are immensely proud of him.

“He had to barge Docklands out of the way a bit to hold his ground, and I do not know if that cost him anything. My first feeling is that the best horse won the race. Fair play to Charlie and the team for supplementing the winner, but it is annoying they did!

“We have got everything set for the Breeders’ Cup, but it is two weeks’ time and he has been busy. He has had a long year and has been so consistent. You do not win or finish placed in these races without putting in a huge shift. Flying him over to Kentucky, even though it is the last roll of the dice for the season, is a tough one. He is a gelding and will stick around for many more years if we look after him, so it is a difficult decision. My gut feeling is probably no at the moment.”

Lisa Jane Graffard said of Rayif: “He has run a good race. He was further back than we wanted him to be. He can be a little bit nonchalant, and he was where he was. He settled, then in the last two furlongs he came from way off the pace and closed all the way to the line. It is only his fourth run of the season, and he is still a bit of a baby, really. It was his first time travelling and his first time doing anything like this, so we are happy with him and think he has run very well.

“We have a lot of discussions to have after today, but he is clearly a horse with a lot of ability and he has not run very much. I think this was only his seventh race, so he is a very fresh horse for the end of his three-year-old career. He is not going to go to the Breeders’ Cup, for sure.”

Aidan O’Brien said of beaten favourite Gstaad, who finished 8th: “He has had a hard season, and he had to go through all that [an infection] like all the others. Maybe it was just a race too far for him this year. He raced a little bit like a tired horse; he never really took Ryan [Moore] and did not pick up.

“Obviously, we did not think that was there, but we were not overworking him because he was very fit after having a hard season. Maybe it was just one race too many for him this season, and he needs a bit of time now.

“I am not sure what the lads will do. He is obviously a very valuable horse to go to stud. He is a Starspangledbanner, who has done a lot this year. If he stays in training, I will be delighted, but if he goes to stud, he is going to have a lot of mares to cover. He is a very important horse.”

Talk Of New York is a three-year-old colt by the late Wootton Bassett, who stood at Coolmore Stud. Homebred by Godolphin, he is out of the Shamardal mare Usherette, who was a two-time Group 2 winner for Godolphin and trainer André Fabre in 2016.

3.20pm Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Sponsored By Qatar Racing) (Group 1)

1 Talk Of New York (Godolphin) Charlie Appleby 3-9-03 William Buick 3/1

2 Ten Bob Tony (TBT Racing) Ed Walker 5-9-06 Kieran Shoemark 7/1

3 Rayif (His Highness The Aga Khan Studs S C) Francis-Henri Graffard FR 3-9-03 Christophe Soumillon 10/1

11 ran 7/4 fav Gstaad (8th)