Listen (100-30) had been ridden patiently in her two previous starts, but with Murtagh pulling the strings, she was never far off the lead.

When front-runner Kay Es Jay weakened, it was Listen who took over and although Proviso delivered a consolidated challenge, the length advantage that Listen had commandeered remained at the line.

“Johnny gave her a great ride. When the gap came she put her head down and quickened really well. It’s the mark of a nice filly. She has speed and she stays. She’s an exciting filly,” said trainer Aidan O’Brien.

“She’ll probably be trained for the 1000 Guineas in the spring if everything goes well. She’s going to be a filly to look forward to next year. I would imagine she’ll now be put away for the season.”

Murtagh added: “She quickened up well and I thought it would take a good one to get her.

“I was trying to take the speed out of the French filly (Proviso) and that’s what she did.

“She’s got enough speed for the Guineas. She’ll get 10 furlongs no problem and if she gets a mile and a half she could be the next Peeping Fawn.”

Murtagh’s gamble on ploughing a lone furrow on Candidato Roy paid off with a pillar-to-post success.

The globetrotting Candidato Roy had proved a champion two-year-old in South Africa four years ago when he picked up two Group Ones, but according to his new trainer Haggas most of his time since arriving in Newmarket has been spent in the equine spa.

These problems had restricted the 50-1 shot to only one previous outing this season.

He said: “It was Johnny’s idea to head up the stands rail and fortunately the horse is straightforward, so I agreed.

“You give up so much ground tacking across and I thought, why not?

“I’m thrilled with his performance which has proved he’s a really brave and classy horse.”

Murtagh added: “I asked if he could go on his own and William said he could. I’d cantered down before and it looked a lovely fresh strip of ground along the stands fence where no horses had been before.”

City Leader (9-1) started the bigger priced of Brian Meehan’s two runners in the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes but the grey proved much better than stablemate Sharp Nephew.

He arrived with a dream run under Kevin Darley to deny Achill Island and Scintillo and win by three-quarters of a length and a head, in the process earning a 33-1 quote from 40s with the sponsors for the Stan James 2000 Guineas.

Samurai Way signalled he could be a potent force in the totesport Cesarewitch when he romped away with the Catalan Gordon Carter Stakes.

Jimmy Fortune looked to have plenty of horse under him at the finish as the 5-4 favourite sauntered home by two and a half lengths from Gabier.

Perfect Star (4-1 co-favourite) earned a step into Pattern company abroad when taking the Space Property Rosemary Stakes.

Father and son trainers Barry and John Hills dominated the finish to the Miles & Morrison October Stakes as the former’s Miss Lucifer (7-2) caught Diamond Diva under Michael Hills inside the final furlong to win by three-quarters of a length.