In the Berkshire sunshine the Australian speedster proved a length-and-a-half too strong for her rival but on two pounds better terms and with a quicker five furlongs, the younger legs had the edge this time.

But only just. For having been in front over a furlong out, the well-backed 13/8 favourite had to dig very deep as Oisin Murphy and his rival closed rapidly.

At the line only a short-head separated the pair with Believing (7/1) another late closer in third ahead of last year’s Coolmore Nunthorpe winner Live In The Dream.

All roads will now lead to York for the Friday protagonists where the runner-up won’t have a penalty to carry.

Betfair, Sky Bet and Paddy Power cut both the winner and second for the Knavesmire showpiece, Big Evs 4/1 from 11/2 and Asfoora 3/1 from 9/2.

Winning jockey Tom Marquand said: “He’s fantastic. He’s literally got too much speed! Obviously, Ponntos has exceptional off-the-blocks boot early on and, to be honest, from the three to the two, he was eating up ground. I was trying to get half a breather in before I went and took the race.

“He just doesn’t want restraining. He’s got so much raw boot and trying to tame that, it almost feels like there is no point, because he grits down for you as well in that last 100 yards. You don’t need to save an awful lot on a track like this for him.

“He’s an exceptional racehorse and, to come back at three as good as he was at two is pretty special.”

Trainer Mick Appleby is enjoying a great week and said: “He’s one in a million, the best I’ve trained by a long way. That was very good. It’s unbelievable really, to think where I was 10-15 years ago to where we are now. We have some great owners now that support the yard – they spend the money and I get results like this. We have a great team at home that work very hard.

“I would say it will be the Nunthorpe and then Breeders’ Cup and off to stud for Big Evs now.”

A delighted Henry Dwyer said of Asfoora: “I’m very proud of her and very happy with Oisin’s ride. You could just tell about 100m from the start of coming down the hill there, she just came off the bridle – she’s a quick mare but they went a bit quick for her early. Big Evs was able to control his own destiny, whereas we were stuck behind a couple, got a bit of a bump at around the 300, I think that’s probably cost her the win, but she’s run great. It doesn’t matter – we won at Ascot, so we’re just happy to be competing and running well.

“The leaders here just have such an easy time of it early, because they run downhill for the first 400. It levels out a bit after that, but if they’re going quick early, they get an easy time. She’s gone terrific – I couldn’t have hoped for her to go better, just disappointed not to win, having gone so well.”

Murphy added: “It was a great effort, and well done to Tom, and Mick Appleby and the owners of Big Evs. He just got away on a downhill track.”

George Boughey was all smiles after seeing Believing finish third.

“I’m delighted,” he said. “She’s just showing her tenacity every time, really. I was a bit worried after a couple of furlongs that she was out of her ground on the fastest five that you run at this grade, but she’s still learning to sprint at this distance, I think.

“She’s carried a penalty there today and probably didn’t have the easiest of runs – there was a bit of traffic with Ralph’s horse on the side there – all options are open for her, I think. Ryan Moore was pretty insistent that she went to the Nunthorpe, but the Flying Five has always been the plan. There’s enough time for her to do both.

“She will govern whether we do that, if she’s alright it would be no surprise – it’s only 12 days ago that she won the Group Two in Ireland. She takes her racing so well – I think she was the only horse at the start without a drop of sweat on her. She’s still upwardly mobile. Credit to Billy Loughnane not giving up – I think she’s still learning really to sprint at that level.”

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