First win of the season for Hanagan
Miss Work Of Art gave champion jockey Paul Hanagan his first winner of the new season at Lingfield last month and she provided him with his 28th at Ascot.
The presence of 1-4 favourite Magic City in the Aldermore Conditions Stakes made this a different proposition for the Richard Fahey-trained Miss Work Of Art (5-1) and she looked to be struggling alongside him with a couple of furlongs to run.
But she started to move better and better and eventually defeated the jolly by a length and three-quarters.
Mel Roberts, winning part-owner, said: "We came here hoping we might have a nice racehorse and I think we've got one now.
"The obvious next place to go is a Listed race at the York Dante meeting (the Marygate Stakes). That's local for us, and we'll take it from there."
For Magic City, assistant trainer Richard Hannon junior said: "We'll have to avoid that filly now and go for the National Stakes, and then the Norfolk."
The theme of upsets continued into the X Factor EBF Stakes.
Emma's Gift was 16-1 despite some good juvenile form due to the fact she is from the small yard of Julia Feilden and had not really impressed on her recent reappearance.
But she came with a strong finish under Adam Beschizza to deprive fellow outsider Metropolitain Miss.
"This is amazing - her owner Emma Raffan came on a tour to our stable and fell in love with her so her husband secretly bought her as a 40th birthday present," said Feilden.
"She has done us proud and I'd love her to come back for Royal Ascot. I'll have to get the programme book out now!"
The fact Andrew Balding's stable has truly hit form was demonstrated by Side Glance's runaway victory in the Britain's Got Talent Paradise Stakes.
A progressive handicapper who carries the famous Mill Reef colours, now belonging to the Kingsclere Racing Club, Side Glance was heavily backed into 100-30 after appearing all the better for his third-place finish in the Leicestershire Stakes.
So it proved in this Listed race as he powered six lengths clear under Jimmy Fortune.
"He's hard to gauge at home and it turned out he needed the run at Leicester," explained Balding.
"That was really impressive and I think he'll get a mile and a quarter.
"The obvious next run would be in the Diomed Stakes but I'm not sure Epsom would be his track.
"I can think of a couple of options in Canada and another in Germany and maybe the Summer Mile back here. We'll have to have a think."
Askar Tau demonstrated his latent class in the totepool Sagaro Stakes.
In something of a rematch of the Further Flight Stakes from Nottingham three weeks earlier, where the Marcus Tregoning-trained Askar Tau was third behind The Betchworth Kid and Free Agent, it was his turn to pounce under George Baker.
The patiently-ridden 4-1 shot was to finish two and a half lengths clear of Akmal, followed by his old foes in third and fourth.
"He just needs top of the ground," said Tregoning.
"For some reason he just wasn't moving as well last season but we got him started early and he was very good today.
"He'll go for the Gold Cup and I'm not ruling another run in or out, it depends if the ground goes."
Coral, Paddy Power and totesport offer 16-1 at this stage.
