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Royal Ascot got off to a thriller with Triple Time (33/1) displaying a tenacious attitude to battle back to the front in the closing stages when landing the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes this afternoon.

The Kevin Ryan-trained colt had shown considerable promise when landing the Group 3 Superior Mile Stakes at Haydock at three but hadn't been seen since finishing a well-beaten seventh in the Group 2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein at Longchamp 262-days ago.

Light Infantry took the field along in the early stages with Lusail also helping ensure the pace wasn't pedestrian for Royal Ascot's opener. Fresh off the back of a 262-day break, Triple Time certainly looked to be over racing during the first few furlongs and perhaps not by design Neil Callan soon found himself prominently positioned on the tails of Light Infantry and Lusail.

The race began to develop towards the far side and Frankie Dettori's backers would have certainly been more confident than most as his filly, Inspiral, loomed up to mount her challenge entering the final furlong having been held up for much of the contest. The pair set down to do battle up the Ascpt straight with Inspiral looking like getting the better of the argument in the closing stages. However, Neil Callan and Triple Time had other ideas and the sizeable son of Frankel battled back resolutely and eventually finished a neck in front at the line.

The front-running Light Infantry (14/1) stuck to his task well to finish two-and-a-half lengths further back in third.

Kevin Ryan said: "He got stomach cramp just before the Lockinge and we had to take him out, he's only had one ordinary run and that was in France in deep ground. Apart from that, when he came back from his little injury at Haydock, he was 80 per cent fit, we had to run him because we were running out of time.

"Hopefully we'll now have a full season with him, he's got his Group One and it's great. I'm delighted for all my team and Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, he's a big supporter of us. He's so patient and I'm delighted to get a big one for him, especially here."

He added: "He's up there [with the best I've had], he's very good.

"He's got a massive stride, he has to use it and as long as you can get him to control it over the first two (furlongs), the rest of the race was then pretty relaxed.

"We knew we had him as good as we could get him with out a run, it's paid off.

"We've got today out of the way and now we can make a plan."

Neil Callan, who was recording his second Group 1 winner after his long spell riding in Hong Kong – said: "I'm speechless for once, and a bit emotional as well.

"When I came back from riding in Hong Kong, I didn't really know what to expect. I rode very competitively there, as I did here before I left. But you are not guaranteed anything in this game and you have to work for what you get. I was lucky that when I came back Kevin Ryan gave me some support. Kevin was so confident in this horse and said he's the best horse he's trained."

Paddy Power subsequently cut Triple Time to 4/1 from 33/1 for the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on the back of that success.