London — Duke of Marmalade stamped himself as the best turf horse in the world when winning Saturday's Juddmonte International -- his fifth group 1 victory in a row.

The expected challenge from Derby winner, New Approach, never materialised and it was left to Henry Cecil's runner, Phoenix Tower, to make a race of it with Aidan O'Brien's star.

While Phoenix Tower was beaten four lengths by Duke of Marmalade in the Prince of Wales Stakes at Ascot, it was a lot closer this time with Ted Durcan's mount going down by only three-parts of a length.

"It's very easy when you ride horses as good as this -- he's equally at home on good or soft ground," said Johnny Murtagh after the race.

However, once again, the tactics employed by the O'Brien camp have come under the spotlight. Earlier this month, Murtagh kept Mike de Kock's runner, Archipenko, hemmed in on the rails in the Arlington Million in Chicago which prevented the South African runner from getting a clear run.

Now riding for De Kock in England, Shea said: "I still feel it was a deliberate attempt by Johnny to keep me pocketed. I was extremely unhappy about it at the time."

On Saturday, O'Brien ran Red Rock Canyon as a pacemaker for Duke of Marmalade and -- four furlongs from the finish -- jockey Colm O'Donoghue looked over his shoulder and saw Murtagh on Duke of Marmalade behind him. O'Donoghue eased his mount off the fence, allowing Murtagh a clear passage on Duke of Marmalade and slightly hampered second-placed, Phoenix Tower, into the bargain.

Several pundits are up in arms over the issue, and one told Racing UK: "I can't think about a more obvious case of team tactics -- while Aidan O'Brien is regularly quoted that pacemakers are there to make sure there is a good and even pace, Red Rock Canyon went far beyond that in the Juddmonte."

"The British Horse-Racing Authority needs to let Coolmore, and other yards that use pace makers, know that team tactics like this are not acceptable. It has left a bitter taste in the mouth."

Another critic said: "Racing is not a team game, but this was a team effort to get Duke of Marmalade to win. If O'Donoghue had looked behind him and seen another horse rather than Duke of Marmalade, would he have been so accommodating?"

Reacting to this criticism, Murtagh said: "There were no tactics and the best horse won. Some people should stop making an issue about something there is nothing to make an issue about."

Gauteng trainer Sean Tarry flew back to SA on Saturday night after checking out National Colour following her excellent second in the grade 1 Nunthorpe Stakes. "She'll be on the easy list for the next 10 days just walking, but then we'll start getting her in peak condition for the Prix de L'Abbaye in Paris in six weeks time."

Sadly, Tarry will return home to one less horse in his stable as he was notified at the weekend that Wendywood, who ran in last month's Durban July, had died following a bout of colic.

"This is a severe blow as I'd told Chris (van Niekerk) that the sky was the limit for her -- she had, after all, contested only three races. I really think she would have been the horse to beat in the Steinhoff Summer Cup in November," said Tarry.