Simon and Ed Crisford’s talented entire, Quddwah, bounced back to winning ways with a dominant display in the mile Group 3 Prix Messidor.

A winner of a competitive renewal of the Listed Prix de Montretout at Longchamp on his seasonal return, Quddwah headed back to France looking to regain the winning thread after failing to land a blow in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.

However, back on a softer surface and down in grade, Quddwah stamped his class on the field under Callum Shepherd, who only had to shake his mount up to strike the front in the final furlong.

From there on in, it was all about one horse as the classy son of Kingman strode clear to score by two and a half lengths from Geography, who clung on by a neck to deny the fast-finishing Ridari of the second spot.

"I'm thrilled with him," said Callum Shepherd on Sky Sports Racing. "I used him a bit early just to get out the ruck from an inside draw so to speak.

"The horse next to me Geography was keen to go forward so I was keen to just get into that horse's slipstream, so I had the option of coming out. From that point it was very smooth. He's an easy horse to ride now, super relaxed.

"He does feel like he star gazes still in front but he was still doing very much the best.

"I do think he's still improving. I thought at Longchamp at the start of the year that he'd returned a much better model.

"Ascot was very forgivable. The ground was too quick. It was a very hot day and although he seemed to handle it fine, sometimes those things can play a part.

"It was a real return to form here and I think he enjoyed getting his toe in. He's up there with the best of him when he gets circumstances go his way.

"It would be great to win a Group 1 with him, and I think he's capable of it."

Paddy Power reacted by cutting the winner to 14/1 (from 20s) for the Celebration Mile.