Giant's Causeway is ready for a heavyweight showdown with Dubai Millennium after disp-laying his prizefighting qualities in the £275,000 Champagne Lanson Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

The Irish colt demonstrated great toughness and a determination to win as he outpointed the French colt Dansili to secure his third Group One victory in just over six weeks.

His qualities should stand him in good stead for a potential set-to in America's Breeders' Cup Classic with Godolphin star Dubai Millennium.

Trainer Aidan O'Brien and part-owner Michael Tabor are unconcerned about the prospects of pitting the colt against the horse rated the best in the world by Sheikh Mohammed.

"He really is very special and we would be happy to take on Dubai Millennium if we meet in the Breeders' Cup," said O'Brien.

Giant's Causeway was back in action after a scraping home in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at the beginning of last month.

Just three weeks before that he had triumphed narrowly in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Giant's Causeway, the 3-1 joint-favourite, had appeared in trouble as Dansili, the other market leader, ranged alongside him in the final furlong.

But Michael Kinane's mount then knuckled down to his task and pulled away again to prevail by three-quarters of a length from Dansili.

Medicean justified the decision to supplement him for the race for £25,000 by finishing third.

Tabor was putting the seal on a fabulous five days, having seen his colours carried to victory in impressive fashion by Montjeu in Saturday's King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes.

The owner admitted that it was now looking unlikely that there would be a clash between Montjeu and Dubai Millennium. "It would appear that the two horses have different agendas," He said. "It's a shame but they are two fantastic horses - let's enjoy them."

Instead Giant's Causeway is set to try to deliver a knock-out blow to the Godolphin superstar at Churchill Downs on November 4.

"Giant's Causeway just doesn't know the meaning of defeat - and he seems to get better. For me this was his easiest win today," said Tabor, who owns the colt with Mrs John Magnier.

"I wasn't really worried about him running again so quickly but there's always people who would have used the argument in hindsight if he'd run badly.

"He simply thrives on his racing and appears to be getting better all the time.

"He's due to run in the Juddmonte International Stakes at York in three weeks but John Magnier said we might have to find another race in between!"

O'Brien holds an exalted position in the British trainers' table even though Giant's Causeway is his only winner in this country.

The trainer could move close to the top of the table if Giant's Causeway manages to add a York victory to his other three Group One wins.

"With hindsight I made a mess of the horse's first three races. I ran him when he hadn't really come - it was just his courage that made him run so well," he said.

"But now he's thriving and putting on weight. It keeps going on in sixes and eights. If I hadn't run him here he'd have been like a balloon.

"He will never run very far, he will just do as much as he has to, He just enjoys waiting for the other horses to come and challenge him so that he can see them off.

"York has always been planned as his next race and then we will go for the Breeders' Cup Classic. He is by Storm Cat so he is bred to be a dirt horse and he regularly works on the dirt at home."

Kinane was only able to take the ride on Giant's Causeway after narrowly escaping injury when Bonnard unseated him when plunging in the stalls before the previous race.