Well-backed Delacroix wins Coral-Eclipse thriller after ‘mind-blowing' ride from Ryan Moore
Everything that could go wrong did go wrong during the race, but he somehow managed to run down the favourite Ombudsman in the final strides.
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Delacroix (right) wins a thriller in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown
Credit: PA
And, judged by the deafening noise that erupted from the stands as he flew home for a last-gasp win, plenty of bets were landed in the process.
Aidan O'Brien, who has just the eight Eclipse wins to his name, was just as dumbfounded as the rest of us as the well-punted 3-1 second favourite dramatically surged from nowhere to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
He said: 'I couldn't believe it, they went hard and then they steadied it, and then they went again. Ryan kept calm and came with one go at the leader, it was a masterful ride, it was mind-blowing.
'He said his plan changed about four times during the race, I thought he'd try to lead but it didn't work out and he ended up where he did.
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'You leave it up to him, he knows the horses, there is always a Plan A, B and C, I'd say that was Plan Z.'
It was Plan Z because the original thought had been that Delacroix, who flopped as 2-1 favourite in the Derby last month, would try to grab the early lead in the six-runner field.
But he ended up being shuffled back through the pack as French horse Sosie and outsider Hotazhell took it up, and the winner was running up a blind alleyway as they rounded the bend for home.
And then, just as he was getting rolling, stablemate Camille Passarro nipped up on his outer and boxed him in, costing him precious momentum and room at a crucial point in the race.
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Moore managed to angle him out, gather him together and unleash him with a sweeping run to catch 6-4 jolly Ombudsman was a ridiculously impressive win.
It was the sort of escape act that would have made Harry Houdini proud.
Moore said: 'He began OK, nobody really wanted to make the running and it was a bit messy.
'William (Buick) wanted the same position as me and he was on a bigger, stronger, older horse so I had to give way.
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'Ombudsman got first run on me but Delacroix is a very good horse with a mighty turn of foot, and he quickened up really well.
'It was a steadily run race for that class of horse, but his change of gear made the difference, it got him out of trouble.
'He was the only horse in the race who hadn't won a Group 1 but he has threatened to for a long time, he is a big, strong, beautiful horse so it is great to get this one.'
Usually the master of understatement, that's about as effusive as Moore is going to get. This must be a good horse.
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It was a brilliant race and the good news is he will likely meet Ombudsman again for round two at York in next month's Juddmonte International.
That is very likely to be the runner-up's target as a philosophical John Gosden took the defeat on the chin.
He said: 'I did warn people beforehand it could be a messy race and that's how it turned out, but he has run a brilliant race.
'We got caught a little bit wide and the winner has just come with one strong run and done us, but that's racing.
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'I don't think we were helped out by the tight gap between this race and the Prince Of Wales's at Ascot, it is only 17 days, so when you consider that he's run a great race.'
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