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Racehorse owners King Power Racing and trainer Andrew Balding were back in the Royal Ascot winner's enclosure today, but in the place reserved for runners-up.
The same combination were in that position on Tuesday, when Beat The Bank was a neck second in the G1 Queen Anne Stakes, and today they had to settle for the same placing after Fox Chairman finished behind Sangarius in the G3 £90,000 Hampton Court Stakes - who was another winner for in-form Frankie Dettori.
Sangarius (13/2) beat Fox Chairman (7/2f) by two and a quarter lengths, but the gap would have been unquestionably smaller had the runner-up not been checked twice as Silvestre de Sousa attempted to find gaps in the home straight. The partnership had not been helped by their slow start, but Fox Chairman ran on strongly once finding clear space and caught third-placed King Ottakar (5/1) near the line to finish a neck ahead of that rival.
Asked to reflect on the race, Balding sportingly handed praise to Sangarius, saying: "I think the winner has run very well and we take nothing away from him, but we would have been closer.
"That was only the third start for our horse, and he's certainly a very nice horse in the making.
"We'll work back from the autumn and take it from there. I don't want to over-race him because he'll stay in training next season. He's going to be a very smart horse in time."
Charlie Fellowes was magnanimous in defeat following King Ottokar's (5/1) third-placed finish in the £90,000 G3 Hampton Court Stakes.
The three-year-old son of Motivator had to challenge towards the outside of the field in the home straight, but stayed on well to finish third.
Frankie Dettori and Sir Michael Stoute captured the 10-furlong event with 13/2 shot Sangarius, who defeated the Andrew Balding-trained Fox Champion (7/2f) by two and a quarter-lengths. King Ottokar was a further neck behind in third.
Newmarket-based Fellowes said: "You look at where the first two have come from and it just hasn't worked out for us.
"I'm not blaming anyone, we just couldn't get a good position and we've ended up being three wide out the back of the field.
"Sir Ottokar has covered more ground than any other horse in the field which is a shame as he has run a massive race.
"There are loads of positives to take from the performance. We have a very good horse on ouer hands. I t was a very goods race.
"Sir Ottokar is very quick and we have options over a mile or a mile and a quarter.
"I'm proud of the performance but you just wonder what would've happened if we had been positioned where Sangarius was, because we probably gave away quite a few lengths.
"Today was not his day, but we can go forward positive with King Ottokar for the rest of the season. He has proved himself in a top-class race and we have a lot to look forward to.
"Options have now opened up for him. This was our Derby today so we'll get him back home and see where we go from here."
