MARK PRESCOTT beat Jack Berry to a coveted first Group One success when Pivotal snatched a last gasp victory in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York yesterday.

Twenty five years of perseverance were rewarded as the Newmarket trainer's loyal stable jockey George Duffield forced Pivotal past Eveningperformance on the line to win by a short head.

The pair beat Hever Golf Rose into third place while Mind Games, who represented Berry's best chance to date of ending his own search for success at this level, finished fourth. Aidan O'Brien's Catch The Blues was doing his best work at the finish to finish fifth under Christy Roche.

Following victory at Royal Ascot, Pivotal could manage only sixth in the six furlong July Cup, his first run in Group One company. But back over the minimum trip, despite needing to be punched along through the early stages, he timed his burst perfectly to earn the photo finish verdict.

The pair look set to clash again in the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp with the Breeders' Cup Sprint another possible target for Pivotal.

David Loder grabbed a fabulous juvenile double when Bianca Nera stormed home in the Stakis Casinos Lowther Stakes to give the young trainer his fourth Group race success in the last six days.

And for good measure Loder had also collected the opening Moorestyle Convivial Stakes with the promising Indiscreet, who stamped himself a useful two year old in the making after shaving a quarter of a second off the six furlong juvenile best time set by Sharp N'Early in 1988. He was providing the Florida based stallion St Jovite, officially rated Europe's champion racehorse of 1992, with his fourth victory from just eight runners.

Bianca Nera's jockey Kevin Darley clinched a 118 to 1 double when Concer Un swooped late to capture the Bradford and Bingley Handicap.

. Frankie Dettori's winning comeback run finally took its toll yesterday when he cried off his final mount of the day at York complaining of dehydration.