The Fugue crushes her rivals in the Darley Yorkshire Oaks

The Fugue comes home in splendid isolation at the end of the Darley Yorkshire Oaks. Image courtesy of racingfotos.com.

There is nothing sweeter for connections of a horse to return a year later to the scene of a narrow defeat and walk away with a resounding victory.

That was the story for The Fugue this afternoon at York’s wonderful Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival.

The John Gosden-trained filly, owned by Andrew Lloyd-Webber, travelled beautifully throughout and when she ranged up alongside Venus De Milo, Aidan O’Brien’s Irish Oaks runner-up, the race was already in the bag.

Jockey William Bucik had scarely moved a muscle and when he did, she bounded clear to win by four lengths, with Venus De Milo over three lengths ahead of the Investec Oaks runner-up, Secret Gesture, in third.

It was The Fugue’s second QIPCO British Champions Series victory after her win in the Markel Insurance Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood last year and it showed just what a top class filly she is.

She had started this year with a fine third in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes against her male counterparts, behind Al Kazeem and Mukhadram.

She then went to the Coral-Eclipse but finished last and was found to have mucus in her lungs afterwards.

Today she was right back to her best. much to the delight of her trainer.

"It’s lovely to have a nice home-bred filly like this," said Gosden.

"I’m happy for her as I thought she’d get very near to the colts in the Eclipse but she was very ill afterwards and that wasn’t her running.

"We had to miss the Nassau as a result but it meant she was on top form for this race and it’s all come right.

"In truth, we really should have won last year as she came to win the race but a driving thunderstorm meant the jockeys couldn’t see what they were doing.

"I thought she had it won but she was just nailed on the line. She’s made up for it this year though."

Buick, who is now joint-second with Joseph O’Brien in the Jockey of the Series table, just 10 points behind Richard Hughes, said: "I’m delighted for the filly as she’s showed everyone what she can do.

"They went a good gallop up front and it’s sometimes difficult to make the ground up when it’s quick.

"She loves this ground though and is top class when it’s like this."

Every filly and mare in the race (Wild Coco was, as expected, a non-runner) is entered for the QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot on Saturday 19 October, QIPCO Bitish Champions Day.