Frankie Dettori steered A’Ali to a narrow victory in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Despite having to make do with the runner-up spot on his racecourse debut at Ripon a fortnight ago, plenty was expected of Simon Crisford’s juvenile in this five-furlong Group Two as he was towards the head of the market at 5-1.
The well-backed 13-8 favourite Sunday Sovereign moved smoothly to the front racing inside the final two furlongs, but his effort petered out once push came to shove and A’Ali quickly powered into a clear advantage.
After meeting traffic problems, Ventura Rebel was really finding his stride late in the day, but was a neck down at the line.