Notable Speech stamped himself as the leading miler of his generation with a dazzling performance in Saturday's Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

All the rage in the market late on, Charlie Appleby's former 2000 Guineas hero and Sussex Stakes winner was sent off 2.6 World Pool favourite in the hands of William Buick, with the pair looking to put a luckless run at Keeneland behind them.

Despite facing a field stacked with quality and potential, success never really looked in doubt for Notable Speech, who could be spotted travelling much the best heading down towards the three-furlong marker.

Last year's Breeders' Cup Mile scorer briefly looked like being short of racing room, but Buick never panicked and once out in the clear, Notable Speech displayed a striking turn of foot to hit the front before powering away to a two-length victory from William Haggas' running on More Thunder. Zeus Olympios finished back in third.

"He's got some turn of foot," said Appleby. "We were stood there watching thinking 'I'm happy, as not many horses can quicken like he can' and if it turned into a burn up in the last couple of furlongs then William is on the right horse.

"William knows him and has the confidence on him, and I have the confidence in both of them. I always say to William you will either be a hero or a villain and sit and sit and when you want to go, sit again, and then at the last moment let him off.

"The team at home have done a great job, Colm O'Donoghue rides him and told me he's in the form of his life and he was right. The team has done a fantastic job, and I'm delighted for the horse as that's a stallion making win for him."

Notable Speech shot to the top of the market for the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Appleby added: "He will go on from here to the Queen Anne. We were unlucky in the Queen Anne last year and to be fair we've learned about this horse, and I think knowing what we know now, we would have gone very close in the Queen Anne last year.

"Naturally he's going to go straight there now. We'll take Opera Ballo as well and it will be a big race for us, but I go there with Notable Speech more relaxed now that he has done that.

"All I wanted him to do was win another Group 1 in Europe and he's done that now."

Opera Ballo's bet365 Mile success had been Charlie Appleby's only winner prior to his double at Newmarket yesterday, but the Moulton Paddocks-based handler proved class is always permanent with his latest top-level triumph.

"I've never been worried – I think it's a sign of weakness if you start worrying," said Appleby on his recent stable form.

"I said to the team don't change what we've done for the last fifteen years as it's been working. It's a model we know, some horses just aren't good enough and are finding their level,"

"It was nice to have a couple of winners yesterday to springboard into the weekend, but it wouldn't have worried me if they hadn't have won as I knew this horse was 110% ready."

Buick, who steered the son of Dubawi to Classic glory two years ago, was quick to laud the latest Lockinge winner and "absolutely top-class miler".

He said: "He has an explosive turn of foot and comes on the scene late and I thought he was exceptional today and felt amazing.

"It's a great training performance from Charlie and the team to get him back here in good shape and it was a phenomenal performance.

"We went to Keeneland last time thinking we would win and never got a fair crack at it at all, and it was frustrating. But we knew he was coming here in good shape and it's always nice to correct those frustrating losses."

Image: Newbury Racecourse