It's nice work if you can get it, and Richard Hannon, the Marlborough trainer, gets it more than most. The king of the sales races for two-year-olds not only won the Goffs Million for colts at the Curragh but doubled it up when lifting the fillies' version of the same race an hour and 20 minutes later.

Soul City, ridden confidently by Richard Hughes, made just about all the running to beat Jim Bolger's pair, Gan Amhras and Intense Focus.

Starting 5-2 favourite, the son of Elusive City became the 78th Hannon juvenile success of the season, earning his connections a golden pot of 985,000 euros. The 79th was coming up shortly, however, and, just for good measure, Hannon saddled both the first, Minor Vamp (10-1), and second, Bailey's Cacao (9-1), in the fillies' race, completing a double even he could scarcely have envisaged.

Hannon said of Soul City: "He's a very good horse and the winner of the Royal Lodge yesterday Jukebox Jury, who was behind Soul City in France proved it.

"He has won his last three, and we work hard at buying these kind of horses and try and find what we like.

"There's no reason why he would not go on and be a nice three-year-old. He's one we could pack up this year and maybe have a go at the Guineas."

Mick Kinane, jockey of Minor Vamp, said: "I was drawn one, but I was happy to be there because the ground was cut up on the inside.

"I could have held on to her a bit longer, but I kicked and she looked a good filly."

Back at Ascot, King's Apostle was the 12-1 winner of the Group 2 Diadem Stakes, beating Diabolical (13-2) by a neck, with Sir Gerry (13-2) a further neck away third.

Sixties Icon, the 11-10 favourite, won his fourth race of the season when coming home comfortably in the Cumberland Lodge Stakes, with Sugar Ray (10-1) second and Ajhar (13-2) third.

At the Surrey course 24 hours earlier, the great British Group 1 fightback continued as Raven's Pass beat off Henrythenavigator for the first time in four attempts to win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Following on the St Leger triumph of the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Conduit at Doncaster, the John Gosden-trained colt helped release the stranglehold of Irish/French domination in he big races this season.

Unlike in the past, when Raven's Pass lost to the O'Brien horse after coming late on the scene, this time jockey Jimmy Fortune, converted when his mount had an all-the-way win in the Cele-bration Mile at Goodwood, sent his horse to the front two furlongs out.

Johnny Murtagh pursued him in determined style on Henrythenavigator, but he was unable to close the gap and finished a length behind.

French challengers filled the third and fourth spots with Royal Ascot winner Sabana Perdida just behind the principals and the big disappointment of the race, well-fancied Tamayuz, fourth.

"The jockey and trainer have finally got it right," said Gosden. "It is not bad being in front of that good horse for a change, and he had to come and get us.

Gosden had earlier lifted the juvenile Group 1 contest, the Meon Valley Stud Stakes, with his exciting filly, Rainbow View.