Fancied pair Gstaad and Distant Storm were beaten as 25-1 outsider Gewan won the Group One Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.
Trained by Andrew Balding and ridden by James Doyle, Gewan drifted towards the near-side rail in the closing stages having been prominent throughout but was able to fight off favourite Gstaad (7-4) who finished second and Distant Storm (9-4) who came home in third.
The win represents a return to form for Gewan, following a poor run when favourite at Doncaster in the Group Two Champagne Stakes last month.
“[I am] very lucky to get the ride on him,” Doyle told ITV Sport.
“He did an impeccable job. Once he got that rail he stuck at it very well.”
Trainer Aidan O’Brien was seeking a record-breaking ninth win in the seven-furlong race with the market leader Gstaad or his stablemate Italy, but the latter only managed eighth.
The Dewhurst is the leading race for two-year-old horses on the flat calendar and is used to provide pointers to next season’s Classics – the 2,000 Guineas, the 1,000 Guineas, the Oaks, the Derby and the St Leger – which can only be contested by three-year-olds.
Also at Newmarket, Beylerbeyi (7-1) went from last to first under Billy Loughnane to beat Dawn Rising (15-2) to victory in the Cesarewitch Handicap with Bunting (5-1) finishing third.