Henry Cecil retreated to his Newmarket base yesterday after suffering a second devastating big race defeat at York. If the eclipse of Bosra Sham a day earlier wasn't bad enough, he endured another surprise reverse when Oaks winner Reams Of Verse flopped in the Aston Upthorpe Yorkshire Oaks. Over £200,000 in bets went down as the Classic heroine, the 4 to 7 favourite, finished a tame fourth behind My Emma.

And there was to be no consolation for the Warren Place trainer later as Bold Fact was out-pointed by Carrowkeel for the Scottish Equitable Gimcrack Stakes.

"Reams of Verse didn't stay. When she won the Musidora they crawled along and made her look very good. She only won the Oaks because she was that good and they went no pace," he reflected.

"She's not bred to get the trip and though she was cantering at one stage she came up against a stone wall. She'll go back to a mile and a quarter.

"Bosra Sham is a bit sore today. We will get the bruise out and a shoe back on and by the time of the Champion Stakes she should be all right. We could even get her to the Breeders' Cup.

"It's not been our week and I'm going home."

My Emma pounced late to defeat Whitewater Affair by three-quarters of a length and provide her jockey Darryll Holland with his first Group One success.

She struck almost eight years to the day after owner Ian Matthews saddled his last runner as a trainer.

Matthews now oversees his family's breeding operation from his base in Jersey, employing Rae Guest as his trainer in Newmarket.

"We bred My Emma's half-brother Classic Cliche and sold him for 13,000 guineas. What a mistake that was! But My Emma is not for sale at any price," he said.

"We always felt she would be better this year and decided to go for a late season campaign. I guess she will go straight to the Arc from here."

My Emma is a 25 to 1 chance for the Arc where she will continue her association with Holland, now re-establishing himself in England after two seasons in the Far East.

Bold Fact failed by three-quarters of a length to repel Carrowkeel who outstayed the 6 to 4 favourite in the Gimcrack.

An impressive debut win at Windsor in May persuaded Sheikh Mohammed to buy Carrowkeel for his brother-in-law Sheikh Marwan, in whose colours he ran yesterday.

Hills was completing a double following a first race success with Amyas.

Far Ahead sprang a surprise in the Tote Ebor Handicap to write another chapter in history of Yorkshire's Hambleton Stables. The 33 to 1 shot triumph came 20 years to the day after Move Off, trained at the same yard by Jack Calvert, secured the same race.

The stable's present incumbent Barnsley-born Les Eyre was elated after the gelding's hard fought neck victory. "This is a dream come true. It's the pinnacle of my career and will never be surpassed," he said.

Far Ahead, ridden by Tyrone Williams, got to the front with a furlong to travel and bravely held the rally of the favourite Media Star. It was a head back to Puce in third.

Eyre, a former manufacturer of fitted kitchens, set himself up as a trainer eight years ago. But he was helped in his new venture by Sunpak Potatoes, the owners of Far Ahead.

"Without them I couldn't survive," he said. "I needed a sponsor for the stable and they gave us their backing. It's a marvellous place to train right up in the hills. I'm so pleased that I was able to win this for the owners as they've supported us through thick and thin."

John Egan took the riding honours at Musselburgh when landing a sparkling 22 to 1 hat-trick on Oriel Girl, Il Principe and Demolition Jo.

The 28-year-old Irishman has been riding out of his skin this year and is now on the 43-winner mark well in sight of the target he set himself before the start of the present campaign.

He said: "I set myself a goal of 61 winners and the way things are going that looks to be in sight. A lot of my recent success is down to my new agent Terry Norman and I'd like to thank him for booking me plenty of rides with chances.

"I've ridden two trebles before when I was in Ireland and the highlight was the day I rode three winners at the Curragh which were made up of a Group Three win, a Listed win and another in a handicap."