Proving us wrong for all the right reasons, Stravinsky shored up his reputation as the best sprinter this side of the Atlantic with an authoritative victory in the Group One Persimmon Homes Nunthorpe Stakes at York yesterday.
Those who witnessed the bay's win in the Moorestyle Convivial Maiden Stakes on this day 12 months ago were convinced they had seen a top miler of the future.
They were right about his class - they just got the distance wrong.
After a couple of failures at a mile, the colt's connections decided to step him down to sprint distances, a move which resulted in a devastating dismissal of his opponents in the July Cup over six furlongs at Newmarket last month.
Again visored, Stravinsky proved his ability to cope with a further reduction in trip - to the minimum five furlongs - in yesterday's £155,000 race.
Settled in midfield, as the French-trained Sainte Marine set a searching gallop, Stravinsky moved closer to the lead soon after the halfway point.
And as Sainte Marine began to tire 250 yards from the finish, the Aidan O'Brien-trained even-money favourite took over, stamping his superiority for a length-and-a-half success, with the same distance to Proud Native.
In his hitherto brief career, the Ballydoyle trainer has already educated some outstanding equine talents.
But even he seemed in little doubt when asked about which particular rung of the ladder is occupied by Stravinsky.
"He showed unbelievable acceleration," he said. "I have never seen a horse accelerate like he does.
"We don't ever ask him at home - we asked him before he won here last year and we haven't asked him since then.
"He has natural speed - pure acceleration."
Beforehand the main danger to Stravinsky had appeared to be the trip. But his jockey Michael Kinane was confident. "He has incredible power - brute force - and it wasn't a worry," he said. He has so much pace, I wasn't expecting him to get in any trouble.
As Stravinsky waited in the starting stalls, he ducked, threatening to unseat his rider, an action interpreted by Kinane as nothing more sinister an alacrity to get on with the job in hand. "He just went down on me and he was wanting to get it on," he explained. The performance inevitably drew comparisons with Dayjur, a brilliant winner of this race nine years ago prior to his shadowjumping defeat at the Breeders' Cup in America.
When it was put to Stravinsky's principal owner Michael Tabor that his horse was the better of the pair, he responded: "I am the last one to argue, but I have got the rose-coloured glasses on. "But I think this time they are justified - I thought that was electric and he is very special."
Asked whether racing on dirt at this year's Breeders' Cup at Gulfstream Park would prejudice his horse's chance at the meeting in November, Tabor added: "I think it would be ideal."
The race featured a terrible fall by Rambling Bear, who clipped the heels of an opponent around halfway, firing Ray Cochrane into the ground.
Miraculously, both horse and rider escaped unhurt, as did Tipsy Creek, who was dismounted by Richard Hills, who feared his partner - himself a son of Dayjur - had broken a leg with two furlongs still to travel.
Darryll Holland, who has already spent much of the 1999 season under suspension, incurred a further three days (August 28-30 inclusive) for irresponsible riding aboard Let It Rain in the Bradford & Bingley Rated Stakes.
The race went to last year's winner Sugarfoot, who justified a gamble from 10 to 1 to 9 to 2 to give Kieren Fallon his first and only winner of the meeting.
