Minnie Hauk just got the better of stablemate Whirl as Aidan O’Brien again dominated the Betfred Oaks at Epsom.

Desert Flower, the short-priced favourite and 1000 Guineas winner, was one of the first under pressure before stamina became an issue, although to her credit she stayed on bravely to finish third.

Up front it was the Ballydoyle pair that pulled a long way clear, but it took all of the final furlong for Ryan Moore’s mount to get on top of long-time leader Whirl, with the 9-2 chance eventually winning by a neck.

O’Brien said: “I’ve been delighted with this filly, she’s got a great team around her and I’m so grateful to everybody.

“She’s a very classy filly. She was just ready to run at Chester, she barely made it, but she made abnormal improvement from Chester, which we thought she might – it was all class rather than stamina or fitness, she just has a lot of class.

“Ryan gave her a beautiful ride, he loved her the last day and he loved her again today so it’s very exciting.

“I’d say she’s still a bit green. Obviously at Chester she learned a lot, but she was always going to improve with racing.”

He added: “What you love about her is she’s a great traveller with a lot of class, Ryan said he was going very easy early on, so usually that means she can step up a couple of grades into even higher class races – she could take on the boys if the lads decide it. I’m delighted for them to have another filly like this.”

Of the runner-up he said: “Whirl ran a great race, she stays, she’s by Wootton Bassett and it is very unusual what they are doing, they are speed horses but a lot are staying as well.

“She was fighting back again at the line, that’s incredible really.”

Jan Brueghel battles it out to beat Calandagan

Aidan O’Brien’s St Leger hero Jan Brueghel held off Calandagan in a thrilling finish to the Betfred Coronation Cup.

Unbeaten when winning the world’s oldest Classic at Doncaster, he had been aimed at the Melbourne Cup later that year but was ruled out by the local vets and was then beaten on his return to action this spring in a Group Three.

Like so many O’Brien horses he improved enormously from his first run to his second and while the patiently-ridden Calandagan looked like gaining the upper hand more than once, the 8-13 favourite could never get in front and went down by half a length.

O’Brien said of the 100-30 winner: “He’s a very tough horse and Ryan [Moore] gave him a class ride. He doesn’t surrender.

“He improved a lot from the last day and he was still pricking his ears.”

Maximized lived up to top billing for Godolphin with a smooth success in the Betfred British EBF Woodcote Stakes.

Trained by Charlie Appleby, the Mehmas colt cost €720,000 at the spring breeze-up sales but he briefly looked to have a battle on his hands when the 9,000 guineas purchase Havana Hurricane loomed up on his outside.

William Buick gathered his mount, though, and the 6-5 favourite eventually pulled nicely clear to win by a length and a half.

Coral cut him to 12-1 from 16s for the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Formal justified the promise she showed as a juvenile when streaking away with the Nyetimber Surrey Stakes.

Winner of her first two starts for the now retired Sir Michael Stoute, she is now with Andrew Balding but disappointed first time out for her new yard in the Fred Darling at Newbury.

Supported into 9-4 joint-favouritism, Oisín Murphy tracked The Waco Kid until breezing to the front early in the straight, beating Saqqara Sands by a length and a half.