Fallon offers perfect Excuse

The season may be well into its second half, but the mile title is still wide open and another name – that of No Excuse Needed – went into the hat here yesterday for the likely decider, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot late next month. Those who christened Maktoum Al Maktoum's talented colt have had their sense of irony severely tested this year with his progress punctuated by assorted ill-luck, but in the Celebration Mile the Sir Michael Stoute-trained chestnut finally netted the prestige victory his ability deserves.

But even in victory his passage was not the smoothest. As if the day was not hot enough, he made those who had supported him at 8-11 against five rivals sweat for their money, whipping the field in for the first half of the race, with Kieren Fallon hard at work in the saddle as Nicobar streaked clear.

However, once the champion jockey persuaded his mount to join in the games, the result was never really in doubt. Tamburlaine took over once Nicobar's effort petered out, but had no answer as No Excuse Needed went past him inside the final two furlongs to win rather easily by a length and a half.

Fallon blamed himself for producing the palpitations in the grandstands, though his tactics were motivated by the sort of attention to detail typical of the calibre of horsemen associated with yesterday's winner. No Excuse Needed races calmly and honestly, but owes his temperament more to environment than heredity – both his sire, Machiavellian, and his maternal grandsire, Zilzal, were fiery types.

"He is a relaxed sort of horse," the jockey said, "but he is the sort who could just get wound up, so we have to be careful with him. I try to switch him off in his races, but I think this time I overdid it. There wasn't any obvious pace in the race beforehand and I didn't expect the leader to go off at the rate he did. I put mine to sleep and it may have looked as if it took a while to wake him up, but he actually picked up well when I asked and hit the front a bit sooner than ideal. But rather than disappoint him I let him stride on and he did it well."

It was the three-year-old's third run of the year and only the sixth of his life. He was highly enough regarded after two juvenile wins to hold Classic entries, but an injury picked up in Dubai early in the year put paid to his spring campaign. He returned to action in June with a close fifth place in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and followed that with a creditable second to Noverre in another Group One contest, the Sussex Stakes here earlier this month.

No Excuse Needed was giving Stoute a second successive Celebration Mile after Medicean's win 12 months ago and is likely to follow in his celebrated Eclipse-winning stablemate's hoofprints in the future with a step up in distance as a four-year-old. "He is definitely a Group One horse," said Fallon. "We were unlucky at Ascot and should just about have won. He is lightly raced and we have yet to see the best of him."

Earlier, Putra Sandhurst, the leading St Leger contender in the March Stakes, suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of in-form four-year-old filly Shamaiel, but is still on course for the final Classic. Sultan Ahmad Shah's Royal Academy colt acquitted himself well on his first try at a mile and three-quarters, leading more than a quarter of a mile only to be caught close home, and was the only three-year-old to finish in the first four. "He stayed well enough," said trainer Michael Jarvis, "and I would think he'll take his chance at Doncaster."

Ballydoyle, on 11 Group One wins for the year, and Godolphin, on six, will lock horns at the top level at Deauville this afternoon, when the best juvenile colt revealed thus far from each camp – Johannesburg and Meshaheer respectively – contest the Prix Morny.

Johannesburg, already a warm favourite for next year's 2,000 Guineas, will be defending a four-race unbeaten record and aiming to become Aidan O'Brien's third winner of the six-furlong contest in four years, after Orpen and Fasliyev. The Hennessy colt has yet to be extended – he displayed scintillating acceleration for a five-length win in the Independent Phoenix Stakes at Leopardstown two weeks ago – and will have the assistance of pacemaker Line Rider today.

Meshaheer's sole defeat came as an unlucky third at Royal Ascot and he has since put the record straight in the July Stakes at Newmarket. Firebreak, Berk The Jerk, Whitbarrow and Tumbleweed Charm complete the overseas party for the Morny, while Holding Court (Jarvis) and Marienbard (Godolphin) run in the Group Two Grand Prix de Deauville on the same card.