Maher said the performance underlined just how far Tempted had come.

“Tempted – wow. Who knows what we could do with her but she has got better every preparation and I don’t think she is done yet.”

Asked whether she could now take on the world, Maher said the idea was not beyond her.

“She probably could but she is still a little bit quirky,” he said.

“You could see that going out on the track, she was a bit ‘fruity’. But she is improving all the time.”

Schofield revealed that he had ridden Tempted more positively than usual and kept a close eye on Ka Ying Rising throughout the early stages.

“First time I’ve really ridden her and asked her from the start,” Schofield said.

“I normally just ride her to relax and trust her to be far too good late.

“But it was a different race today. We had the world’s best sprinter, the world’s best horse. I had eyes for him, and I knew he wasn’t up there and I held my spot and kept him deep and I’m pretty sure that made Zac have to come back.”

That tactical move proved crucial.

“From there, I had the perfect trip,” Schofield said.

“I came off from behind the two leaders, and I hit the front very early, a long way out.

“But she’s such a good horse, she’s so brave and so game.”

Schofield said the plan had not necessarily been to lead or race prominently, but Tempted made the decision for him.

“It wasn’t our plan. Ciaron just said, let her be. If she wants to be there, let her be there,” he said.

“He felt in this race last year she was a pair further back than she needed to be.

“I jumped, I gave her a squeeze, and like always, she was there for me and she delivered.”

The four-year-old has now won 10 of her 15 starts and Schofield believes she has continued to improve with every run this campaign.

“She’s getting better, that’s all I’ll say,” he said.

“I rode her as a three-year-old and she came back so much stronger.

“She was amazing first-up, she was even better second-up. I reckon she went to a new level there today.

“She’s had three runs this prep and got better each time, why won’t she keep improving now as a four-year-old.”

Maher also paid tribute to Godolphin for their patience with the mare.

“I’m thrilled for Godolphin,” he said.

“A lot of horses don’t reach their full potential but Godolphin has been very patient with Tempted.

“She is something special.”