Dubai: Australia added the prestigious Juddmonte International Stakes trophy to his stellar list of victories when delivering a dominant effort to capture the York showpiece on the opening day of the Ebor meeting on Wednesday.

A well-bred son of Galileo out of the outstanding racemare Ouija Board, Australia hardly raised a sweat in winning the 2,000m contest by two lengths from French Derby victory The Grey Gatsby, while Royal Ascot scorer Telescope was third and Mukhadram fourth.

Racing in the colours of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, Mukhadram was unable to find the gears to match the winner when it appeared that he had every chance with three furlongs to run.

Ridden by Joseph O’Brien for his trainer and father Aidan, Australia came from last to first within a matter of strides and put the race to bed.

“We’re absolutely delighted. I couldn’t be happier,” O’Brien Sr. told Racing UK. “He was ready for a racecourse gallop at best, that was where he was at.

“There’s such prize-money here and it’s such a prestigious race that it’s very hard to gallop him at a racecourse rather than bring him here.

“The impressive thing about this horse is that he has a lot of speed, he travels very strong.”

O’Brien, who equalled Sir Michael Stoute’s record of five wins in the Juddmonte, was not ready to commit on Australia’s next likely target but said: “The lads will decide what’s next, but we had in our head to come here and then Leopardstown [Irish Champion Stakes, September 13] if everything went well.”

However, British bookmakers Sky Bet slashed the winner’s odds to 6-1 (from 7s) for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (October 5) in France, and to 1/2 from evens for the Champion Stakes.

The firm’s spokesperson Michael Shinners said on Sportinglife: “Australia proved he had the speed for ten furlongs against some top-notch older rivals there including the Eclipse winner and the King George runner-up.

“His autumn target looks to be Leopardstown and he looks a very strong favourite for that contest while it remains to be seen if connections are tempted by the big prize in Paris.”

Meanwhile, Postponed, carrying the colours of Epsom Derby winner Shaikh Mohammad Bin Obaid Al Maktoum, ran out a convincing winner of the Great Voltigeur Stakes (G2), the main support event on the card.

The winner was riden by Andrea Atzeni for Newmarket-based Luca Cumani, who like the jockey is Italian.

Snow Sky, ridden by James Doyle, was two and a quarter lengths behind the winner at the line.

Mapping out plans for the winner, Cumani said: “I don’t think he’ll go to the [St] Leger, I see him as a true mile-and-a-half horse.

“He travels well and quickens well, just like a mile-and-a-half horse, but obviously the owner will decide.

“I hope he’ll be a proper Group 1 horse next year, where there are many more likely targets.

“I was thinking what there is left, and there isn’t much, especially as he needs fast ground, so we will have to think long and hard about what we do with him.”