The 4-6 market leader overcame traffic problems at the halfway mark with a most impressive change which swept him past his main market rival on the far rails as 20-1 chance Wathab challenged wide.

“We felt it was going to take an unbelievable horse to beat One Cool Cat here,” was winning trainer Aidan O’Brien’s reaction.

“The great thing about this horse is that when Mick asks him to go, he blasts. He went to the front so well that Mick said he was idling at the line.”

Ladbrokes’ reaction to the result was to clip One Cool Cat to 5-2 favourite from 4-1 for next season’s Newmarket Classic.

The pace was generous from the outset and the winning time of 1min 23.1sec was almost three seconds quicker than Refuse To Bend achieved on similar going 12 months ago as a prelude to taking this season’s Guineas.

No wonder O’Brien makes little secret of his admiration for the big, imposing son of Storm Cat, who will now be put away with Newmarket in mind.

“He was a bit fresh down at the start because we had just kept him ticking over and we knew it was going to be his last run of the season,” O’Brien said.

“But he is very relaxed, has a great mind and seems to have everything.”

Johnston, whose horse was beaten by a length and a neck, was disappointed at the outcome.

“I can’t say there’s any excuse for Pearl Of Love – third wasn’t good enough here,” he said. “But with two furlongs to go we were in the perfect position to win the race.

“We will try again, probably in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster, and see if we have got a different horse that day.”

Kinane had shown maximum confidence in the favourite as he sat and suffered nearer last than first until approaching the final furlong.

His decision to head for the far rail proved a wise one, particularly as One Cool Cat had the pace to turn impending defeat into a notable victory.

“This horse can bridge any amount of ground very easily – he just sweeps up other horses,” said Kinane.

Wathab, who had been hampered here last month over the course and distance when beaten over four lengths by Pearl Of Love, stepped up significantly on that run.

Trainer Kevin Prendergast said he felt his runner “would have won with an ease in the ground”.

Neville Callaghan’s Barbajuan always seemed to be struggling to go the pace but kept on for Johnny Murtagh to be fourth, two lengths off Pearl Of Love.

Darryll Holland had compensation for Pearl Of Love’s defeat when he made all the running on the William Haggas-trained Chorist to justify favouritism in the Irish National Stud Blandford Stakes.

Holland quickened the tempo under two furlongs out and Chorist opened up a decisive lead over fellow English raider Place Rouge.

Haggas was represented by his wife Maureen, who was worried beforehand that the going might be too fast for the daughter of Pivotal.

“The ground was probably a bit quick for her and Darryll thought she was feeling it early on,” Mrs Haggas said. “But when she got going, she kept going, and we will look at a race on the continent for her next.”