Lazzat took little time in repaying new owners Wathnan Racing when striking in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot on Saturday.
The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes went the way of France after Lazzat proved too strong in the closing stages for fellow international raider Satono Reve, who was bidding to become the first Japanese winner at the Royal meeting.
Sent off the well-backed 2/1 favourite in the hands of Joao Moreira, Satono Reve travelled with plenty of zest and looked to be going best as they moved on down towards the two marker.
However, Lazzat and James Doyle, who had always been up with the pace down the middle of the track, weren't going to lie down easily, with Doyle galvanising his mount for more deep inside the final furlong.
It quickly became apparent that Lazzat had plenty more to give out in front and with a determined attitude, he continued to find on the front end to go on and land the spoils by half a length at odds of 9/2.
It was a second success at the top level for the son of Territories following his victory in last year's Prix Maurice de Gheest and a winning start for his new owners Wathnan Racing, who continue to enjoy an excellent week with five winners in the bag.
Reynier, who was celebrating a first Royal Ascot success, said: "He won at the top level as a three-year-old in the Maurice de Gheest in Deauville but, after having been all the way to Australia and Hong Kong, I was a bit scared that it was going to be tough.
"We have obviously been trying him over a mile to open his options, but he is a pure sprinter, and we will stick to the sprinting distances over straight courses in the future.
"That was a pretty tough challenge [from Satono Reve]. I have been watching all his races; he always comes late. James had a really good feeling with the horse and, when the Japanese horse came to him, Lazzat put his ears back and tried again – he said there was no way he was going to pass him today."
Paddy Power cut Lazzat to 7/2 for the July Cup at Newmarket next month, although Reynier feels that a possible crack at defending his crown in the Prix Maurice de Gheest may be more likely with the July Cup expected to come too soon.
"The July Cup is coming a little quickly, so maybe we will defend his crown in the Maurice de Gheest. We also have the Sprint Cup, and we can be back here in October because he can handle any ground. If the ground is heavy, he can do it as well. He's a very good champion.
"Today everything went right for once, and we are happy to have a first Royal Ascot winner, especially for Wathnan and Nurlan Bizakov as a breeder. I am very happy for the connections involved."
Doyle, who was actually shipped off Lazzat after the line, added: "I can't take any credit for this – Jerome and his team told me all about him. His former jockey [Antonio Orani] before did a great job bringing him through the ranks. He rode him in Australia when he ran such a good race in the Golden Eagle.
"We had all bases covered and Jerome was very confident. He said all week 'don't worry about the ground, everything is fine'. We mapped the pace out and thought if I end up leading, I end up leading, and he said, 'don't worry, he won't stop'.
"I could feel Satono Reve coming all right, but you won't get a more genuine horse than this one. He really pinned his ears back when he joined me, and he was always going to see him off.
"I thought he was my banker of the week. I feel a bit guilty because we have only picked the horse up a couple of weeks ago, and obviously I landed on him. I have to say a huge thank you to the whole team, a big thanks to everyone."
