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Kingman once again proved his superiority in the mile division when using his devastating turn of foot to take the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville.

It was a fourth Group One in a row for John Gosden's superstar, though connections only made the decision to run after walking the Normandy course before racing amid fears that it might be too soft.

With only five starters it was always likely to be tactical, but James Doyle waited patiently before unleashing Kingman from last place inside the final furlong and he burst away from Anodin, with last season's runner-up Olympic Glory only third this time.

As the field virtually walked out of the stalls, it was left to German outsider Red Dubawi to take up the running and the pace began to pick up.

Just as he had shown in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, St James's Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes, Kingman can produce top-level sprinting speed and with a flicker of effort from his jockey the race was quickly over.

Frankie Dettori was always hard at work on Olympic Glory and never looked likely to trouble Kingman, while Clive Brittain's Rizeena was rarely a danger herself under Ryan Moore.

Gosden revealed the final decision to allow Kingman to take his chance was made by owner Prince Khalid Abdullah.

The Clarehaven handler said: "It was a 50-50 in my mind, and a very sporting gesture by the Prince. I didn't think he was entirely in love with the ground - it was different to anything else he had faced - but he's got a wonderful temperament and showed he can cope with anything.

"It was a muddling pace, and James kept wondering when they were going to quicken it up. You had to be impressed with the way he went and won his race - the good thing was that he completely switched off.

"The plan is now the QEII (Ascot, October 18), which has always been his end-of-year objective."

Doyle said: "It's a shame they went so slowly early on because then it turned into a dash to the line.

"I wasn't sure he would be able to go and do his usual thing on the ground, but he was just the same Kingman when I asked him to pick up as he's always been."

Dettori said of Olympic Glory: "My horse ran a super race, but he's the same sort of horse as the winner in that he likes something to aim at. In that small field, I had to ride him a bit differently and it probably cost us second."