Mizzou in the frame for Gold Cup after impressive Longines Sagaro Stakes win

The Luca Cumani-trained four-year-old comfortably took care of a depleted but still strong field to win by two lengths ahead of Vent De Force under Richard Hughes in second and Forever Now – ridden by Frankie Dettori, in third.

Cumani had expressed some reservations about the four-year-old's ability to show his best up Ascot's short home straight. However any doubts were put to one side as Mizzou made light work of it as he powered clear under William Buick on his first try at the two miles distance to break the course record by one hundreth of a second.

The lack of rain resulted in five non-runners meaning only eight went to post. Last year's winner Tac De Boistron was one of those withdrawn but trainer Marco Botti came prepared with a capable back-up in the same Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock ownership in Seismos who finished sixth. Race favourite Pallasator faded tamely to finish last.

Sara Cumani, wife of trainer Luca, said: "Luca has a lot of faith in him and and has been saying all winter he was his Gold Cup horse. They went a decent pace, which suited him.

"He'll now go to Sandown for the Henry II and then on to the Gold Cup. William [Buick] said he wouldn't want the ground any firmer."

Formerly known as the Paradise Stakes, the race was renamed the Sagaro Stakes in 1978 named after Sagaro, the winner of Ascot's Gold Cup in each of the preceding three seasons.

The Sagaro Stakes was given Group 3 status in 1983 but was first run as a Group race in 1984 after the scheduled first year's running was abandoned due to waterlogging.

Several winners of the Sagaro Stakes have then gone onto win the Gold Cup in the same season, the most recent being Estimate in 2013.