Rock of Gibraltar entered racing's record books with his most impressive performance yet as he destroyed his rivals in the £265,000 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood yesterday.

Completing his sixth successive Group One victory, a feat matched before by only the great Mill Reef, the Aidan O'Brien-trained colt was easy to back at 8-13 before the start of the one-mile contest.

Fears that any of the illness that has hit O'Brien's Ballydoyle squad so hard in the last few days had reached Rock of Gibraltar's stable door were dispelled in emphatic fashion.

Ridden with supreme confidence by Mick Kinane, Rock of Gibraltar was always hacking along led just inside the final furlong and eased clear by two lengths to beat Noverre, although the winning margin might just as easily have been 22.

Reel Buddy was the same distance back in third with No Excuse Needed, who patently failed to handle the rain-softened conditions, well held in fourth.

Living in the stable next door to Rock of Gibraltar, Hawk Wing had already succumbed to the cough that has affected the majority of O'Brien's three-year-olds.

In the circumstances the trainer admitted that connections had taken a big chance on running their charge.

O'Brien said: "All the tests were good, his lungs had scoped clean but that didn't mean he wasn't harbouring something, we just didn't know.

"The chances are, the way things are going at present, that it would be just a matter of days before he has it to so we can't make any plans.

"He is entered in two races at York over a mile and a quarter (the Juddmonte International Stakes) and over five furlongs (the Nunthorpe Stakes).

"He is an unusual kind of horse, with enough speed to run at that short a trip. When we first tried him at a mile we thought we were stretching him.

"But with things as they are, we are just taking it a day at a time."

One of the youngest of his profession, O'Brien wasn't around in the days of Mill Reef but was still able to realise the magnitude of Rock of Gibraltar's efforts.

He said: "I've seen the videos and read all about him and it is a great thing to do.

"This is a serious horse, a real solid sort of horse and his class won the race. He'd had a break and he wouldn't have been 100 per cent today so it was a good effort. He wouldn't have too many flaws."

Kinane said: "I was amazed when he was going down to the start, he wanted to have a buck and a kick.

"He was just full of himself and so happy to be here. It is very hard to find that quality in horses, he loves to come and do his work.

"No matter how quick the others go, Rock of Gibraltar is always in control."

Trainer Barry Hills combined with his twin sons to land a 5.3-1 double late on the card.

Michael drove 7-2 favourite Mamounia to victory in the Weatherbys Bank Fillies' Rated Stakes then Richard steered the juvenile Judhoor to a facile success at 2-5 in the Lady Of The Month Champagne Victor Maiden Fillies' Stakes.