Racing: Nahoodh avenged her luckless Guineas defeat and brought a broad grin to Mark Johnston's face when swooping late to claim the UAE Hydra Properties Falmouth Stakes at rain-sodden Newmarket.
Horse and trainer have endured a largely miserable 2008, with the filly having a nightmare passage in the 1000 Guineas which resulted in her finishing fifth after having every imaginable door slammed in her face.
Johnston, meanwhile, has had a relatively quiet season by his own high standards which, prior to the beginning of the July Festival, left him sitting seventh in the trainers' championship.
The summer now looks much brighter for the Middleham handler after Frankie Dettori set alight his grey over a furlong out and stayed on best of all to claim a cosy length-and-three-quarter success.
The Cheveley Park Stud-owned pair of Infallible, who was a place ahead of Nahoodh in the Guineas, and Heaven Sent were second and third respectively, with New Zealand mare Seachange in fourth.
The stewards called an inquiry soon after the race, as Heaven Sent had to be snatched up by Ryan Moore close home, but the placings remained unaltered.
The winner was transferred from Mick Channon to Johnston after Jaber Abdullah sold her to Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum following her run in the Irish Guineas, after which she finished sixth in Royal Ascot's Coronation Stakes.
Johnston said of the 10-1 shot: "When we first got her we thought if we were going to do anything, then we need to do something different.
"Our first approach was to let her bowl along, and I thought she ran well enough at Ascot but Frankie said come back to seven furlongs.
"We didn't decide tactics for today but we have been trying to get her to settle and relax.
"It was only two days ago we decided to run her over a mile again, and I did have her entered over six furlongs as well.
"We were looking for a seven-furlong race but the lure of a Group One was too much.
"She obviously gets a mile and there are richer pickings at that trip so she will probably stay at a mile."
Commenting on his slow season, he added: "They say one swallow doesn't make a summer, but when it is big enough it does.
"Through June and the beginning of July we were running at around a third-placed, which is normal but we didn't have the winners.
"If you look at the stats for the last fortnight then percentage-placed is down.
"That is why I said one swallow as on Saturday we had four winners and people said were back in form.
"But a Group One winner makes a big difference and makes up for a lot."
Chris Richardson, managing director of Cheveley Park Stud, said of his pair: "They've run blinders.
"Probably with Infallible we might well consider dropping her back in trip and looking at options over six and seven furlongs.
"Heaven Sent has run a great race too but the filly who won looked unlucky in the 1000 Guineas earlier this year so that's just the way it goes."
Graeme Sanders was delighted with the effort of Seachange, who travelled powerfully before finishing just out of the placings on her swansong.
He said: "If we hadn't seen so much rain we would have been closer but we probably wouldn't have won and I'm very proud of her.
"She was only put in the July Cup on Friday as a precaution and will now be retired."
In a truly international contest, German 1000 Guineas winner Briseida was fifth, Channon's Majestic Roi sixth and Jim Bolger's Irish raider Finsceal Beo was a disappointing seventh.