RACING/York report and Sligo preview: Azamour's late withdrawal robbed a lot of Irish interest from yesterday's Juddmonte International, and it was Sulamani who grabbed the Group One prize for the all-conquering Godolphin team.
Frankie Dettori's mount thrived on the good to soft going to overhaul Norse Dancer by three parts of a length in the final strides, with the French favourite Bago losing his unbeaten record in third.
Trailing in their wake were the Aidan O'Brien pair Tycoon and Solskjaer, who were last and second last respectively.
At the other end, Sulamani provided Sheikh Mohammed's elite outfit with yet another victory in the York Group One. It might have been less impressive as the likes of former winners like Halling and Sakhee, but there was no disguising the doggedness, a virtue that Sulamani's detractors had questioned in the past.
"He has always been sensitive mentally but we knew he was going to win a big race as a five-year-old," said the Godolphin spokesman, Simon Crisford.
"He's run second in the Arc, won an Arlington Million and he deserved to win another big one. I wouldn't mind many of those," said Dettori, who had earlier enjoyed a much easier success for Godolphin when Rule Of Law took the Great Voltiguer.
Go For Gold managed to finish third in that, but the big race was an anti-climax for the Irish who were searching for a fifth win in the 32-year history of the big race.
All previous four emerged from Ballydoyle and Azamour was denied the chance to change the pattern.
Ground reports from jockeys earlier in the day varied from "very gluey" to "not too bad", but it was bad enough for John Oxx to try to contact the Aga Khan to confirm Azamour's withdrawal.
Final confirmation that the Irish colt wouldn't run arrived less than an hour before the Juddmonte, but it had little impact on the winners.
"Some people questioned the distance but we knew he wouldn't mind it and the long straight would be ideal," said Crisford.
Sulamani's stable companion Millstreet cut out a good pace that had the field struggling earlier than expected in the straight. Briefly Norse Dancer looked like hanging on, but Sulamani's stamina swung it his way.
"He is in the Arc, but we also have Doyen in that so we will have to see what happens. He could go back to America," Crisford added.
Rule Of Law's next assignment, however, is likely to be the St Leger after the Derby runner-up comfortably beat his old rival Let The Lion Roar for the fourth time in a row.
"I don't think he will have any problem with the Leger distance," said Saeed Bin Suroor.
The day's other Group Two, the Lonsdale Cup, fell to First Charter, who was virtually ignored in the market but whose stamina in the rain-softened ground was too much for the favourite Millenary.
